I Could Be Your Life
by DaUglyChibi
Summary: This is my last day alive, Gaara thinks to himself as he walks through the dark lonely streets of the city. But a certain track star named Rock Lee won't let his precious classmate die! Not before he has a chance to befriend him. Gaara x Lee Yaoi
1. Part 1

Chapter 1

It'd been a long day for him, having awoken early this morning to practice before school and staying a good while after school to get even more practice in. He was changing out of his training sweats, having access to the school's gym after school thanks to his over enthusiastic coach. His coach would either train with him, or help him, they worked hard. It all paid off, though, since he won many awards for his speed and precision. Soon he'd be competing for the title of 'fastest in the nation' so he was practicing twice as much and twice as hard. Distractions were not an option; he had to stay focused on school and on track.

"Lee! Stay safe going home tonight, it's gotten rather dark. See you bright and early tomorrow!" The coach, Mr. Gai shouted to him merrily from his office as Lee made his way out of the locker room. He had changed into old faded blue jeans and a long sleeved green sweater, carrying his sweat-drenched clothes in a small workout bag. He kept his running shoes on, planning on doing a light jog home.

He didn't reply to his beloved teacher's words, because his throat was dry from rigorous training. He quickly pulled a water bottle from his bag and picked up his school bag he'd left in his locker earlier. After slinging his backpack over his shoulders he made his way out of the school and started a light jog home. He didn't have too much homework, and was looking forward to finally getting some much-needed rest.

It'd been a long day for him, having awoken early this morning only to not attend school; the thought hadn't crossed his mind. He went to bed late every night and woke up too early, that is, if he slept at all. Usually he went to school, having nothing better to do but not really caring. He wasn't unintelligent, he wasn't too much of a troublemaker as of late, and hadn't hurt anyone in a long while. Unless self-inflicted wounds counted. He'd awoken this morning to one thought, which still rang clearly through his head as if he was saying aloud.

'Today is surely my last day alive.'

He wasn't normal, he knew that, and over the years he found ways to cope with the loneliness of being ostracized. He'd grown up a violent child, violence being his way of dealing with the self hate and the fact of being on his own. His mother had died because of him; his siblings couldn't accept him, called him a demon. His father had hated him, and had recently passed away, assassinated. He was apart of a powerful family, wealthy to say the least. But money does not buy happiness for the few who are not entertained by material possessions. Everyone knew his name, it's not like he was ignored or forgotten, quite the contrary. Though attention wasn't the same as caring, and he'd always received negative attention.

So he'd end it. Life was much too hard, proving to not be worth the effort. There were so many ways to kill yourself, he knows there's been many a book on it. He'd go for something simple and easy, having a long razor with him, buried deep within his pocket. So unoriginal, he thought, but it'd suffice. He'd never found a reason to be creative anyway; it was pointless, since no one would have appreciated it.

The blood red hair was easy to spot in the throngs of people as he made his way through the crowds. He'd been wandering the streets all day, subconsciously hoping for a reason to appear, a reason for him to stop himself. But by this time he'd lost all hope of living, not thinking anything could stop him. It'd gotten dark quickly, and it was now the time. He'd find somewhere he could bleed to death peacefully. At home he'd be found too quickly and his efforts would be wasted. Moving to towards the slums of the too bright city he knew he'd be able to find a nice alley to hide away in. No one recognized him; he kept a thick scarf over his mouth and nose, using a small tilt of the head to have his hair fall over his eyes. The light January breeze kept him cold enough to stay numb, and for the first time that day he though of the date. Mid January; the 19th. How fitting, now he finally realized why he knew it'd be his last day here on this planet. Today was the day marking his birth, and would finally be written down as the day of his death, seventeen years later.

He reached his destination, the rundown part of the city. No one cared what happened here, no one would look at him twice if he cut himself right then and there, too cold and under fed to care. He started his search for an unoccupied alley.

Lee was making his way home, not happy with having to live in the bad part of town, but knowing it was all he could currently afford, having turned eighteen and being kicked out of the orphanage. What he didn't expect was to see that familiar mop of red hair ahead of him, heading in the same direction that he was. He could easily catch up; see if it really was who he thought it was. He believed himself in recognizing the boy from the back of his head, knowing that it had to be his classmate, Gaara.

Gaara hadn't been at school today, Lee had noticed, sharing a few classes with the male. Lee knew a lot about Gaara, since everyone knew about his family through the news and such. But Lee had always liked Gaara, for reasons he couldn't explain. He'd always wanted to make the other teen smile, if it was just once. Maybe it was because he was too much of a nice guy, as everyone said. But he really hated seeing his classmate sad, even though he was still beautiful while sad, Lee had to wonder how gorgeous he would be if he were happy. Lee had also memorized Gaara's information from the school, Gai helping him to access the files. Gai hadn't wanted to, but saw how much his favorite student was starting to care for the boy he'd never so much as talked to and caved in. Lee knew for a fact that today was Gaara's birthday, and had wanted to present a gift to him today at school. He thought about it, and he still had the gift in his bag, maybe he could work up the courage to give it to him. He knew Gaara would never like him, but maybe, just maybe one day he'd tolerate him. Lee's biggest dream, what he wanted even more than the title of 'fastest in the nation' was Gaara's friendship. He'd gotten a few friends in high school, but Gaara was secretly who he looked forward to befriending before he graduated.

He looked ahead at the red hair, making sure not to loose sight of it; soon they'd be approaching the apartment where Lee lived. Lee had to work up his courage before they got there, or he'd never do it. He knew he'd never talked to Gaara before, but this was his only chance. It was rare for him to run into Gaara outside of school, even stranger that he'd run into him in his own neighborhood. For a moment, Lee wondered what Gaara could possibly be doing here, but shook his head, speeding up to catch up with Gaara, knowing it a was now or never!

"Hey, Gaara!" Lee said, not so confident after the words were out of his mouth. What if it wasn't Gaara? What if he'd just called out to this random stranger? He was wearing enough black to be Gaara, and as Lee approached the figure to look at him from the side he knew it was Gaara, even if most of his face was covered. Lee smiled down at the other teen, while Gaara looked up at him, an unreadable look on his features, his eyes more lifeless than Lee had ever witnessed.

Gaara had never expected something like this to happen right now. It was so late, too late, he thought, to run into anyone. Why this man, who he knew to be the school's pride and joy, their famous track star, Rock Lee? Why? They'd never said a word to each other before, but now Lee greeted him like they were old friends, giving him that caring smile. Caring? No one cared for him, what was this guy, practically a stranger, doing giving him that smile? It had to be fake. Subconsciously Gaara could see it was genuine, but convinced himself it was fake. Gaara did nothing to acknowledge Lee's greeting other than look up at him, not trusting his voice to work at the moment. He'd been one turn away from leaving all this forever, why'd he have to run into Lee? Everyone knew Lee to be a nice guy, and Lee wouldn't leave him alone if he knew that he was even the tiniest bit depressed. Everyone liked Lee, why did it have to be Lee?

Lee couldn't bring himself to give him the gift; it'd be too embarrassing! Especially with Gaara looking up at him as if he didn't know him. Maybe he didn't? It crushed Lee's heart to think so. He wasn't exactly invisible, and had always noticed Gaara. He hadn't stopped to think that maybe Gaara never noticed him. But he could at least wish him a happy birthday, even though it was so late in the day.

"Well, uh, I live right over there so I'll see you around. Have a happy birthday!" Lee stuttered, smiling and blushing a bit. He convinced him self that he blushed because it was cold. Just as he was going to walk up to his apartment Gaara stopped and finally said something, causing Lee to turn around again and give the red head his undivided attention.

"How'd you know it was today? No one knows… other than the school and my siblings." Gaara mumbled, not believing what he was hearing. He was on the verge of rage; did Lee know what he was doing to him? Breaking him, breaking the ice, killing him with that kindness! That kindness wasn't for him, it couldn't be for him! No one, no one gave him kindness! No one should've cared! Why did he care, why did he know? Why did he say such things to him? Why? It wasn't fair, it wasn't for him. It was for everyone; Lee was just a nice guy, giving his affection out carelessly! Why did he give Gaara such affection, such kindness! He gave it to everyone, didn't he? It wasn't special. Even though the look on his face was one of indisputable kindness, it wasn't for him. Not for him, not kindness…

"Ah, I …" Now Lee was at a loss of words; he hadn't expected it to be some kind of secret! How was he supposed to explain himself without getting Mr. Gai in trouble? He couldn't tell Gaara the truth, the fact that Lee was falling for Gaara so hard that his teacher had been worried and given him what little information he could. He smiled another wide grin for Gaara, placing his hand behind his head nervously, hoping to think of an excuse in the next couple of seconds.

"Never mind…" Gaara muttered before turning away from Lee and hurriedly walking away from the warmth. No, it wasn't possible, everyone knew how selfless Lee was, how much of a nice guy he was. The kindness, that kindness wasn't for him. Lee wasn't for him, Lee was just being himself. It wasn't going to stop him; those words meant nothing, even though they were slowly meaning everything. But Gaara shook his head, trying to get that voice that oozed with caring out of his head. It wasn't for him, nothing was for him…

Lee looked at the back of Gaara's head, stunned, at a loss of words or actions. Then he remembered Gaara's eyes, so lifeless. He'd never seen such depression in someone's eyes before, such overwhelming sadness. And he was in this part of town, when Lee knew he was too wealthy to live in anything but a mansion. He had said no one else knew of his birth date, did that mean he was the only one to wish Gaara a happy birthday today? Such depression reeking from him, a dark aura about him, undeniable gloom… He couldn't be thinking of doing that, could he? Lee had to follow him; if Gaara was thinking of doing anything that drastic Lee had to stop him. Or he'd never be able to live with himself again.

Gaara now staggered about the darker streets, the night getting bleaker with every passing moment. You couldn't even see the stars anymore, thanks to pollution and the bright city lights. As if pushing his way through murky water Gaara made his way into the unlighted parts of the city. A few more minutes of searching and he found it at last, an abandoned area, the alley dark and full of horrid promises, such as disease and death. Just what Gaara wanted, before Lee's words melted him, while he was still numb, he had to do this. All he could say to himself was 'It wasn't for me, not kindness, not for me, not Lee…'

As he stepped into the darkness it enveloped him in its gloomy embrace, welcoming him to death. He shoved a hand into his pocket, shuffling through the cloth to find the box cutter he shoved in there earlier. He couldn't trust his sight anymore, his eyes not having adjusted to the darkness yet. He felt for the switch to press down on to ease the blade out of its protective covering. He heard the click and then the slide of the blade out into the darkness. He wanted to smile; everything would be simple from now on. Suffering would be ended, with this last bit of pain. He wasn't one of those kids who slit their wrists for attention; he was here to get the job done. Placing the sharpest side of the razor against his skin covered vein, he made sure to press hard enough for the skin and whatever else separated the air from his cool blue blood to be ripped apart. He slid the blade down vertically, slicing the vein open until he met with the resistance of his hand. From the middle of his fore arm down, the blood was rushing forth, turning a wondrous red, the same as his hair. Of course, he could barely make it out now that his eyes were finally adjusting to the darkness. The blood came out fast, and soon he was lightheaded. He went to fall backward, hopefully crack his skull against the pavement. But he was only met with strong arms, and used what little strength he had to turn to see who would try and save him. He'd come to this part of town knowing no one would give a damn. But who would dare…

Lee.

"Gaara!" Lee screamed frantically, seeing the blade in his hand and the sizable cut down his arm. The amount of blood that was pouring out of him was definitely lethal if he didn't stop it. Lee quickly tore open his workout bag, grabbing his white and green sweatshirt, quickly wrapping the cloth as best he could around Gaara's forearm. The white quickly soaked up the red, and it was soon a red and green piece of cloth with a few white spots. He tied the sweatshirt tight around the cut, trying to stop the bleeding as best he could. Gaara just continued to look up at Lee, his stare blank for more reasons than one. He was slowly loosing consciousness, but he knew he wasn't dying. Not with Lee here. Before he gave his mind to the black that was unconsciousness he heard Lee's cry.

"Please, Gaara, don't die. Oh, please, don't die. What am I to do if you die? I never even got the chance to love you… Oh, please…" Lee hiccupped out, crying so fiercely that he couldn't see. And Gaara went into the darkness with that being the last thing he heard. He thought that'd be a nice thing to hear before you die, too bad he knew he wasn't going to die now. Not with Lee.

Lee hurriedly moved Gaara's limp and lifeless body into his arms as soon as his tears had calmed down enough so he could at least see where he was going. His bag hung limply from his wrist, and he took the pants out to put over the soiled sweatshirt, hoping it'd help stop the blood flow. He ran, as fast as he could, towards the hospital, carrying the limp body like it weighed nothing. The nearest hospital was at least two miles from where he was, but he ran, the tears annoying him but not stopping. No one in this area gave him a second glance, and he knew he'd have to get a good paying job and move out of there soon. They were such horrible people, they would have let Gaara die, which is why Gaara had probably come down here. But Lee wouldn't allow him to die. So he ran, as fast as his legs would carry him, his speed on the verge of superhuman. They reached the hospital in a little less than ten minutes, Lee panting from the effort.

"Please, help him… Oh please…" He pleaded as he entered the emergency room and approached the secretary at the desk. He'd barely gotten the words out before he too fell into unconsciousness from overexerting himself. He struggled against the darkness, only to be pulled further into it.

"Late last night Gaara, the son of recently deceased billionaire, Mr. Sabaku, was taken to the emergency room for blood loss and a self inflicted fatal wound." The blonde haired news reporter woman said in her too serious to be real voice. "The interesting thing is that he was saved by local track star, Rock Lee, who doctors believe made it to the hospital in record time from site where the wound was inflicted to the emergency room. Evidence and reports show that they had been in the darker parts of the city when the incident happened and were at the hospital in less than ten minutes, which was a little over two miles away. Considering that he was carrying such a heavy load and going over a mile in less than four minutes it's quite the feat! Though he passed out as soon as he reached the emergency room, he saved the young billionaire's life. Had they been even just a few minutes later the doctors are sure that he would have died of blood loss. The two teens have yet to awaken, but doctors assure us that they will probably regain consciousness within the next twenty-four hours. We'll keep you up to date on this exciting local story once there's more information available. Our text story is far more depressing, the victims of a…" The television was switched off after that by the shocked blonde haired boy.

"Damn! I guess that means I won't see bushy brows or Gaara at school today. Maybe they'll let me visit them later, I wonder what happened, you can never really trust the news…" Naruto muttered to himself, taking a swig of milk right out of the carton. He then wiped his mouth on his sleeve, swung his backpack over his shoulder, and left for school. Today there would be a buzz of excitement and gossip. Nothing anyone said would be the truth, and he really wondered if they'd let him visit Lee and Gaara. He was one of Lee's best friends, and considered himself Gaara's friend, even though Gaara rarely acknowledged it. Why would Gaara do something so drastic?

Lee regained normal brain functions not long after the television broadcast on the news of what had happened. Of course, he had no idea that it was already such big news. The instant he was awake he thought of Gaara, wondering if he was all right. He shoots up out of the bed, trying to sit up, only to have a mess of cords and bed covers hold him down.

"He's awake!" Lee hears someone shout, and finally opens his eyes, though the bright lights hurt said eyes as they open. He looks around as his vision adjusts, seeing a doctor and a few people who look like reporters by his bed. But it wasn't his bed, it was a hospital bed, and he finally remembers his own fall into unconsciousness. He doesn't like that he's now in a hospital gown, doesn't like how they've hooked him up at all. He feels perfectly fine now! Would they let him see Gaara?

"Where's Gaara?" Is the first question Lee asks, his voice sounding worse than he thought it would have. The doctor simply smiles and pulls a light blue curtain back to reveal the other bed in the room. There lies Gaara, seemingly lifeless with more cords stuck in him than Lee can count, one of them connected to a heart rate machine, which beeps regularly to assure Lee that Gaara is indeed alive.

"Oh, thank you…" He breathes in a sigh of relief, smiling.

"Don't thank me, I should be thanking you for getting him here so quickly. You're the reason he's still alive right now, I was just doing my job." The tall, older male doctor replies. Lee just continues to gaze at the other teen, tears welling up in his eyes as he realizes how close he was to loosing his chance to befriend Gaara. Tears slowly make their way down his face, but are cut short by the loud voices on the other side of the room.

"So, Rock Lee, how does it fell to be a hero?" One reporter asks from the doorway, not noticing the tears.

"How did you find him? How did you make it here so fast carrying him and your school bag?" Another reporter starts, and they both try to continue but the doctor moves to the door, shutting it.

"Sorry about them, everyone's interested in this story, we have to beat them off with sticks! They're so persistent." The doctor tells him, a slight smile on his lips.

"Story? What story? So those were reporters?" Lee asked, not really wanting to deal with this becoming a huge news story. Too bad for him, it already was.

"This story, everyone praises you as a hero, Lee. The basics have already been broadcasted on the morning news. Sometimes I wonder how they get all that information from us, we have to have a spy somewhere here." The doctor replies easily, but Lee has a horrified look on his face.

"The news? You're telling me it was on television?" Lee becomes mortified. He doesn't want this, he just wants Gaara to be all right, and he doesn't want to be a hero. And he was positive all the questions and attention would get to Gaara, he was unstable as it was. He wanted to be able to comfort Gaara, not be plagued by reporters and questions he didn't want to answer.

"Yes, on every local news station early this morning. But don't worry; we'll try our best to keep them off your backs while you're here at the hospital. I just can't promise you anything when you get out." The doctor said the last part with true remorse. He hated reporters, how pushy they were, a lot of accidents happened because of persistent reporters.

"It's okay, thank you." Lee replied quietly, looking over once again at Gaara. "Can I at least stay here until he's recovered?"

"Of course. You just need rest, so you'd be able to leave by tomorrow. Depending on when he wakes up, he might have to stay here for a week or more, though." The doctor stated calmly, looking from the ebony haired boy to the crimson haired one.

"By the way, if you don't mind answering, how do you know him?" The doctor asked, motioning to Gaara.

"From school." Lee replied easily, knowing that's only answer he could give at the moment. Then he realized, he'd missed school, he'd missed practice! And if he stayed with Gaara he was going to miss even more school and more practice. He'd give that up, sure, but was Mr. Gai okay with that? He'd have to get his work from school, Gaara's too, so that they wouldn't fall behind.

"Do you think I could call someone?" Lee asked suddenly. The doctor nodded and moved a phone onto the table beside his bed. Lee quickly thanked him and dialed the number that he knew so well.

"A family member?" The doctor asked, Lee having been registered as an adult so there had been no one for them to contact. Lee only shook his head though.

"Don't have any, I'm calling my coach." Lee stated, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. But the doctor realized he meant he was an orphan, now living on his own.

"Hello, Mr. Gai?" Lee said into the phone, a jubilant voice coming from the receiver, loud enough for the doctor to hear.

"Lee! I'm glad you're all right!" Gai replied.

"I'm sorry about missing practice…" Lee started.

"Don't be! You did a great job running last night! I'm so proud." Gai said, dramatic tears rushing forth, his happy sobs completely audible.

"Thank you, Mr. Gai." Lee said bashfully, always happy to receive praise from his beloved teacher.

"You're calling about practices and school work, aren't you?" Gai questioned.

"Yes, how did you know?" Lee asked, glad he didn't have to explain anything.

"I am your coach, and your teacher. I've gotten to know you pretty well, Lee! As for school work, I'll have yours and Gaara's sent to you at the hospital by Naruto, is that all right?" Gai asked, and Lee could hear him telling Naruto his job as he waited for Lee's reply.

"Of course it is, I'm sure Naruto will be happy to do it." Lee replied.

"He's been looking for an excuse to go see you two all morning, I'm glad to finally find him some work. He'll come by after school everyday until you two get out. As for training we'll have to postpone it." Gai said sadly.

"But, Mr. Gai…!" Lee tried to protest.

"You can't push yourself too hard! Besides, it just means we have an excuse to train three times as hard once you're well." Gai laughed into the phone.

"Yes, Mr. Gai! Thank you." Lee said, smiling again.

"Don't worry about it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go back to teaching my class." Gai retorted, laughing again as Lee apologized loudly. They said goodbye and hung up the phone, Lee feeling better about staying now.

"So everything's settled?" The doctor asked, smiling at the energy Lee showed, even while recovering.

"Yes, so I can stay with Gaara until he's better? But I don't have money or insurance…" Lee replied sadly, not knowing how he was going to pay the medical expenses.

"Don't worry about it, Gaara's siblings have already informed me to put the bill for both of you on their tab. And I'll tell everyone you need recovery rest, even though you seem to be quite the healer." The doctor said, merrily, moving towards the door.

"Just press the nurse button if you need anything, you'll find a remote for the television there and everything. Please notify us when he awakens, I'll make sure the reporters leave now, before I go on to my other patients. Okay?" The doctor asked, and Lee nodded. With that, the doctor was out the door and Lee was left to stare at the wounded teen in the bed next to his.

When would Gaara wake up? The doctor hadn't told him; maybe he was going to be like this for a while. Lee hoped not, but didn't want to rush it. He had a lot of things he wanted to say to Gaara, but nothing was rushed now, because Gaara was going to live. Lee felt a few more tears fall from his eyes before sleep overcame him.

His slumber was disturbed a few hours later by Naruto being escorted into the room. Lee was awake immediately, smiling brightly at his one of his closest friends. "Hey Naruto!" Lee greeted merrily, glad he had a visitor other than those annoying reporters.

"Hey bushy brows! Is Gaara asleep or still knocked out?" Naruto asked, coming into the room with arms full of papers and books. He set them down on a table, letting out a sigh of relief.

"He has awaken yet, I don't know when he's going to." Lee replied, a little crest fallen. He wished he knew when Gaara would get up, or Gaara to get up right now.

"Well, the news lady said he's supposed to get up in the next twenty-four hours or something. But that was this morning. Speaking of which, I want to know the true story. What happened? I can't trust those damn news reporters." Naruto said, flopping down on a chair next to Lee's bed, making himself comfortable.

"First, what did the news say? I've been wondering what they said." Lee asked.

"They said some stuff like Gaara had some kind of incident, got a self inflicted wound, and you rushed him to the hospital like a hero. But that seems like only part of the big picture." Naruto stated, using hand motions to emphasis his points.

"Okay, if I tell you my whole side of the story do you promise not to tell anyone?" Lee asked before going on.

"Of course not! Scouts honor!" Naruto said, holding his hand up in what he thought was the scout's hand symbol.

"You never were in boy scouts, Naruto, but I trust you, so I'll tell you anyway." Lee drew in a long breath, only to sigh before starting. Naruto moved around in the chair until his legs were over the armrest and his head was against the backrest, ready to listen.

"I went home late yesterday, because of training, you know?" Naruto nodded in affirmation. "Anyway, I was jogging home when I spotted him walking to the streets by where I live."

"The ghetto?" Naruto asked, and now Lee nodded.

"Yeah, I thought it was weird but didn't question it. Okay, so I'm not going to tell you how I know this, but yesterday was Gaara's birthday." Lee said, Naruto giving him a look of disbelief.

"Really? I had no idea, and I've known him longer than you have! I actually talk with him, thank you very much." Naruto added, giving Lee a knowing grin.

"You know I get embarrassed around him easily!" Lee retorted, blushing a bit just from Naruto mentioning it.

"Whatever, get on with the story." Naruto said, kicking his legs a bit in the chair.

"So, since it was Gaara's birthday I had gotten him a present. I thought I'd give it to him at school, but you know he wasn't there yesterday. When I saw him I thought it was my chance! But I didn't expect him to look at me like that when I greeted him…" Lee trailed off, remembering those listless eyes.

"What look? Did he scowl at you? That's what he always does whenever I greet him, it's no biggie." Naruto replied, but stopped when he saw Lee's serious look.

"No, he looked at me like there was no life in him. I thought it was because he didn't recognize me, but that wasn't it. Then, when we approached my apartment I was going to let him go. I couldn't work up the nerve to give him the present so I just wished him a happy birthday. Then he got angry, like I'd insulted him, asking how I knew about his birth date. I tried to come up with an answer, but we walked off muttering 'never mind,'" Here Lee did his own impersonation of Gaara's unemotional voice, which made Naruto choke back a giggle. "He was acting so strange I knew something had to be up. And he was in the bad part of town all by himself, so I followed him; just to make sure he got home all right. But he didn't turn back towards home, just walked further into the dark parts of the city. I had trouble finding him when he turned down one street with no lights. I couldn't find him for a moment, but after searching I saw him in one of the blackened alleyways. Naruto…" Lee looked up at Naruto with concern. "He tried to kill himself. I did all that I could, I saved his life, but…" Lee couldn't help but pause again, his eyes filling up with tears, "What if he hates me for it?" Lee let himself cry here, really worried about Gaara hating him. He could live with Gaara ignoring him, but if he hated him…?

"Hey! Don't cry, bushy brows! I'm sure he doesn't hate you. He may not like people, but he doesn't hate people like he used to. Lee…" Naruto comforted, Lee looking up at Naruto when he said his name. Naruto only used his name when he was really serious. Lee stopped his tears to listen.

"Maybe he'll be mad at you. But I don't think he really wanted to die. Even if it's only subconsciously, I bet he's grateful for what you did. Just, don't let him get to you while he's angry. He used to beat up a lot of kids, but I knew it was only a cover. I think he's just lonely. If that really is the case, you have to fix that, Lee. Try and be his friend, no matter what. Heck, I'm still trying to this day. I'll be jealous if he acknowledges you as a friend first, I've been trying for years! I know how much he means to you, bushy brows. Let him know, not right when he wakes up, but don't hide it." Naruto said, his seriousness out of character, which only made it all the more impacting. Lee nodded at Naruto's words, his tears now completely dried.

"Thank you, Naruto." Lee said, giving him a thumbs up and a smile, his infamous 'Nice Guy Pose.'

"Anytime, bushy brows. But of course, next time you'll have to treat me to ramen!" At this, his stomach growled. "Speaking of which, I got to get home and eat, I'm starved!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping out the chair and grabbing his dropped school bag. "See you tomorrow!" And with that Naruto had left.

Lee thought about what he'd said about Gaara. Naruto had known Gaara longer than Lee had. They were both orphans, but Lee had always lived at the orphanage while Naruto had gotten a good foster parent back in middle school. So Naruto had met Gaara in middle school while Lee had to wait until the orphanage let him attend the local public high school a few years later. The only reason Gaara went to their school is because he'd gotten kicked out of all the fancy academies while he was still young. Lee realized there were still a lot of things he needed to learn about Gaara. He felt jealous that Naruto knew more about him, but shook the feeling off. Naruto was his friend, and the both wanted to be friends with Gaara. Why should he be jealous? No reason, exactly.

A few minutes after Naruto's departure the doctor came into the room, giving Lee that serious smile. "Well, I see he still hasn't awakened yet. As for you, I'm pretty sure it's safe to take you off this and let you eat normally." The doctor moved to the side of Lee's bed, where he carefully removed the IV that was supplying him with nutrients. Once the machine was off of Lee there were no more machines to hold him down, that having been the only one. His condition was anything but critical so he hadn't needed much attention. The doctor put the IV away in the closet and then went over to Gaara's bedside, where he made sure all the machines were functioning properly.

"Well, he's in much better condition. I'm certain he's on his way to a full recovery. Physically, that is." The doctor added, turning towards Lee.

"Until now it's been written down that it was a 'self inflicted injury' meaning he could have hurt himself on accident. But, I talked with his counselor, reviewed his files. It wasn't an accident, was it Lee?" The doctor asked directly, Lee froze on the spot. What was he supposed to say? If he told them Gaara had tried to kill himself then they might lock Gaara away, and then Lee really would never see him again. And Gaara would hate him even more.

"I couldn't say…" Lee started, he hated lying, but he'd do it, so Gaara wouldn't hate him anymore than he had to. The doctor was giving him a look of disbelief, but Lee couldn't tell him, they'd take Gaara away!

"We won't lock Gaara away, but he will have to see a therapist and have his whereabouts known at all times. Just tell me the truth." The doctor coaxed, but in reality he couldn't promise anything, it was up to his siblings since Gaara was only seventeen.

"I can't tell you now… I need to talk to Gaara, before anyone else does. I …" Lee tried to get out of it, he didn't like this conversation at all.

"It's all right, but you do realize you'll have to talk about it sooner or later?" The doctor was once again moving towards the exit.

"I know, just… not now." Lee replied.

"Whatever you say." The door shut loudly behind him, leaving Lee to his thoughts once again. Since he was no longer tied down he decided to grab the books Naruto had left for him, along with the assignment papers.

He found that his books and such made up the top half while the bottom half was Gaara's. He looked over his own quickly, setting it on his bed, but then continued to leaf through Gaara's. Lee was a year older than everyone, but in the same grade due to a mix up with his papers at the orphanage. He didn't mind, though. But Gaara was still a math class ahead of him. 'Must be smart.' And as Lee looked through the other books he realized Gaara was in all advanced classes, with much more work than Lee had. 'Must be really smart. I'm surprised we share any classes.' Since freshman year they'd shared their study hour period, but other than that they only shared Junior English this year, which Gaara had gotten put into half way into first semester for refusing to do all the extra assignments in honors English.

He felt weird standing there, but soon understood that it wasn't because he was looking at Gaara's books so much as he wasn't wearing anything but that skimpy hospital gown! He quickly looked for his pants, his boxers, anything. He found his belongings neatly piled together in one of the cabinets. He slipped on his boxers, feeling more comfortable now he wouldn't be exposed to the world. Or worse, have Gaara wake up to see his nakedness showing!

Gaara had the bed next to the window, and having nowhere better to do his work, he brought his books over to the chair beside the window and started on his schoolwork. Every so often he'd look over at Gaara, who looked even sicklier when Lee saw him up close. He was undeniably beautiful, though. Lee recognized that he'd thought this before about Gaara. Gaara really was good looking, no one could deny that. A lot of people thought he just looked creepy, but Lee knew that deep down they just had to be jealous. Such fiery hair, ivory skin, and those wondrous sky colored eyes. Not to mention he was in good shape, a bit short, but that was all. But a lot of people were scared off by him black eyeliner and facial tattoo. The kanji for 'love' placed right there on his forehead in dark red ink, matching his hair color. Lee wondered when he'd gotten that tattoo, since he'd had it ever since Lee had met him. Maybe Naruto knew…

He had to get back to work! Focus! He worked later than he usually would, but only because he'd slept all morning and could stand to stay up a few more hours. As the clock approached midnight Lee started his last assignment, happy to be finished with it at around half past twelve. He'd also done a couple notes for the English class he and Gaara had together, to help Gaara when he finally got up. He shoved the notes into Gaara's book and set his books and such besides Gaara's, falling back onto his hospital bed with a happy sigh. He was actually going to enjoy being in the hospital here with Gaara. The bed was a lot better than the one he had and home, the food he'd had for dinner wasn't bad, either. Plus, instead of being all alone, he had Gaara here. Now that he thought about it, he'd been alone for the longest time, his one long time friend being Naruto. Recently he'd gotten more friends, but was that because of his personality or his being top ranked in the nation in sports for high school students? He'd worked hard to get where he was, to be liked. Back in freshman year he'd been made fun of for his appearance, but as his awkward features turned handsome he'd found that he had more friends and less enemies. Though, a lot of the time he still felt really alone, especially on the weekends when all he did was work, eat, sleep, and train. He tried to think about how Gaara felt, being an outcast as he was. He had money, good looks, and was smart, which got him a few female admirers. But that's all they were… Lee started to see why Gaara might go to the extremes like he had.

Lee wanted to change Gaara, not against his will, but let Gaara know that people cared for him. He cared for him, so did Naruto. And on some level, his siblings had to care for him, didn't they? It was approaching one in the morning when Lee noticed the small stir from where Gaara lay. Lee shot up, immediately by Gaara's bedside, completely forgetting about how the doctor had told him to ring the pager when Gaara awoke.

"Gaara?" Lee whispered hopefully, staring intently at the teen in the white sheets. The machine said he was alive, but Lee couldn't trust the machine, he had to see the eyes, those eyes open before he could believe. He wanted to chase the lifelessness away from them, the listlessness he'd seen. He wanted to make Gaara smile, with all his heart, that's what he wanted to do. But it was too early for that, for now he just hoped those eyes would open for him. Even if he were angry with him, it'd be better to see anger than to see nothing.

"Please, open your eyes. Let me know you're alive." Lee whispered quietly, placing his hand over Gaara's, feeling their icy coldness and becoming worried. "Please." He said softly as he gripped Gaara's hand, hoping to take the cold away from him. He'd take Gaara's coldness within in himself, if it meant Gaara could be warm. He'd give anything to see those eyes at this moment.

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

Here's my latest piece of work! I'm working on so many things when out of nowhere BAM this little guy hits me in the face screaming 'Write me!' so I wrote a little today, and I'm really enjoying this one. So beware, I might slack off on my other fanfiction because I like writing this one so much. It was originally a oneshot, but now it can't be. I thought, 'Hey, I'll write a one shot where Lee saves Gaara from commiting suicide!' look how that turns out, I swear I'm going to write too much...


	2. Part 2

Chapter 2

The darkness faded and Gaara was left with the cold grayness against his eyelids. He knew he was alive and conscious once more. He moved his injured hand a little, to see how it responded. The instant he did so, he felt someone rushing towards him, calling his name from the realm of the living. At first he didn't want to wake up, didn't want to know he'd failed. But the voice, it begged him, and he registered whom that voice belonged to.

Lee… and Gaara opened his eyes ever so slightly to get a glimpse of the teen holding his hand and looking down at him with so much concern in his eyes that it spilled over his eyelashes in the form of tears. He shut his eyes again, though, even the dimmed lights being too much for him to handle at the moment. Maybe it wasn't just that, he might have closed his eyes because the brightness of Lee's smile when he saw that Gaara could open his eyes was too much for Gaara to handle. It was that brightness that made him keep his eyes shut. He'd been wandering through the darkness, physically and mentally, for so long. The radiance of Lee's so called kindness hurt to accept. He couldn't accept it, not here, not now, not Lee…

The grip on his hand tightened and the tears began to fall on his already cold arm. But the tears were warm in the instant that they dropped, only turning cold after laying there for a few moments. And that's how Gaara viewed this kindness. Even if he were to accept it, he knew it couldn't last. Lee would become disinterested in him, or he'd chase Lee off, or Lee would find something better to do than waste his time with Gaara.

But what had Lee said, when Gaara had slashed his vein open, what had that comment been that would have been such a beautiful thing to die for? Oh yes, 'what am I to do if you die? I never even got the chance to love you…' Gaara tried to decipher those words now that he finally had the consciousness in which to do so. The words that made him uneasy, the 'love you…' were all the words he could hear, it replayed in his mind, the voice saying it with so much emotion. Emotion, Gaara would have to understand that before anything else, before everything else. He didn't experience those emotions like others did, how would a normal person feel about those words? He couldn't know, it was also the situation in which he said them, the way he had worded it.

One word at a time, first word would have to be the one word he had the most trouble with, 'love.' The word he had placed on his forehead, the word, which to him, meant to keep to yourself, to love yourself. To cast other's aside in the name of the love placed on his forehead, to love only himself so that he couldn't love any other, so that no one could possibly love him. But it slipped, his view of the word, his grip on his own reality. He couldn't quite grasp why he'd thought this, why he saw it a bit differently now. Why? Could it be because that was the first time someone had ever sad something like that to him? People threw that word around, normal people did. Saying things such as 'Oh I just love that new skirt,' or 'I'm in love with that actor!' It didn't make sense to him, to use the word like that. How did Lee view that word? Gaara looked through his memories, remembering how the boy had said it a few times before within his earshot. But it'd always been used with other words such as 'youth,' 'justice,' and 'in the name of.' Never quite like how Gaara had heard the voice say it to him, in that very moment between reality and the numbness of unawareness.

But maybe he was over thinking this; he had that problem thinking about something so much that he twisted it out of context completely. It didn't help that he couldn't accept the kindness or the love. Because he still believed that they weren't for him. Either he was mistaken or Lee was mistaken, because those words weren't used in this sort of context. Not with Gaara, they had never been words to him so much a rumors. Words that his mind would whisper to him to make him insane, words used again and again against him. 'No one cares,' and 'No one loves you, no one ever could,' were the silent mantras that the whispers played for him. So why had Lee thrown that word at him? It had to have been an accident, said because of the pressure of that moment, and because those might have been the last words said to him. Here it comes to play again, Lee just being a nice guy. Trying to make his last moments pleasant ones. But they weren't his last moments, so now it haunted him. Lee couldn't have meant that, a mistake. Gaara was still alive, he wouldn't say those words now, and Gaara wouldn't hear those words again.

He was alive, and it wasn't pleasant, quite the contrary. He was in a lot of pain on his injured arm. The wires and such, he could feel them, even if he hadn't seen it when he'd opened his eyes for that brief second, he knew he was in a hospital. Lee must have brought him here; he faintly wondered how long he'd been passed out. Gaara came back to the present, trying to recognize his surroundings without opening his eyes. It was then that he realized that the hand was still holding his, and slowly opened his eyes to see the ebony haired head face down on the bed next to his arm. It seemed to be sobbing something; Gaara only caught the words 'Thank you,' and his own name. How did he care? How? He couldn't have cared. Lee was just a nice guy, he didn't really care, and Gaara convinced himself of this. Gaara turned his head to see the boy leaning against his bed a bit better, catching Lee's attention.

"Gaara!" Lee excitedly whispered, his throat a bit dry from the tears. He was so joyous at this moment, to see those eyes finally opened, finally alive. They still held some of the lifelessness that they had the day before, but it wasn't as intense as it had been before.

Gaara didn't reply, not having anything to say to this man who had saved his live. What was he supposed to say? Since he'd saved him from his own devices a thank you was not in order. He didn't want to thank Lee for being who he was. Lee would have saved anyone, it wasn't just for Gaara. Not for him.

Lee saw Gaara looking at him, not with anger, but with a sort of dejectedness. Maybe a bit of denial, but Lee couldn't read his unguarded expressions that well yet. Lee was glad that Gaara wasn't guarding his expressions right now, like he usually did. Maybe it was just because he was sick, but Lee hoped that Gaara would let his guard down completely for him one day. One day, Lee hoped, they'd become friends.

Gaara moved his eyes from Lee's face to the hand that still had possession of his own. Once Lee realized he was holding Gaara's hand, and Gaara might not be ready for that, he removed his hand quickly away from the other teen and shoved it behind his back. He smiled nervously, but Gaara's expression didn't register any emotion regarding Lee's hand being there or being removed.

"I'm sorry." Lee apologized nervously, but Gaara didn't mind, so he saw no reason for Lee apologizing. Why had Lee put his hand there it the first place, on the hand below his cut? Why had he held it like that? Like he cared, when he couldn't have cared. He cared for Gaara like he cared for everyone; Lee would hug his enemies if given reason to. So what if Lee cared for Gaara? It was only because he cared for everyone, so Gaara would not accept it. Why did Lee care so much? It'd remain a mystery to him, he was sure. He couldn't understand it, Lee's kindness towards others, his always-present smile. The only time Gaara had seen Lee frown was in his last moments of consciousness before he passed out. That was the only frown he'd even seen on the guy, the only time he'd seen him cry out of sadness. Though it gave Gaara little satisfaction to have caused that reaction in Lee.

Lee continued to look at him, now grasping his arm behind his back a looking very nervous. There was only one question, one thing Gaara could think of to say to him. "Why?" He murmured through dry lips, his throat aching from the effort. He was in worse physical condition than he'd first perceived.

"What…?" Lee asked, not sure what Gaara was referencing to. Was he asking why he was here, why he wasn't dead, why…?

"Why… did you save me?" Gaara replied slowly, words feeling foreign to his tongue. Lee had ruined all his plans, ruined him, and soon he'd leave him to rot, to be just like he had been before. Why would save him when he didn't want to be saved? He didn't want this, he felt pathetic, knowing that Lee had only saved him because he was a nice guy. No one would save Gaara because they cared for him, no one cared for him. So why had he been rescued? Why did he have to be alive right now? Why did Lee have to look at him like that, like he really cared? Why?

"I, uh, well I guess it's because I…" Lee started stuttering, not knowing how to answer Gaara. If he said the wrong thing Gaara might break, but if he said too much Gaara might push him away. He needed to say the words Gaara needed to hear, but what were those words? Why couldn't he think of anything comforting to say, the one time it really mattered?

"I've always had a special place in my heart for you, Gaara." Lee stuttered out, finally. But those weren't the right words! Those words would chase Gaara off in a second, Lee knew that! Why had he said something so needlessly cliché and incriminating? Gaara's eyes widened, just a little, as he looked Lee over, as if inspecting the comment. He had meant those words, but they revealed too much! He'd scare Gaara off, he might as well have said 'Oh, I'm sort of your stalker, you know. I'm obsessed with you.' He was an idiot, and as Gaara looked at him he literally took his hand to his forehead and smacked his palm into it, hoping to knock some sense into himself.

"I mean, I always thought you were really cool…" No, that wasn't right either, "I've tried to talk to you, but I always loose my nerve…" Not right, no, he was just saying a bunch of really weird comments, stuff he'd always thought of saying to Gaara, but none of them being the thing he wanted to say.

"I like you." He finally said without thinking, and then smacked his forehead again. That was the one thing he knew he shouldn't have said to Gaara, ever. He always told himself that if he told Gaara that he'd be doomed. A few of Gaara's admirers had told him that very comment. He always replied with something along the lines of 'You don't, you can't, so never talk with me again.' He'd left a couple of them crying, but he had never seemed to care. That comment, the very one Lee had just said and was still resounding off the walls, usually made something in Gaara shift. His usual uncaring attitude would turn into something along the lines of anger. And Lee had just said it. Oh, what was he to say now? Nothing could fix what he'd just done.

Gaara, on the other hand, was still digesting Lee's first couple of comments, analyzing them one at a time. A special place in his heart? Wasn't that the kind of comment used only in little girl's books, when the hero takes the heroine in his arms? But Lee looked determined as he said these comments, like he meant them. But Gaara realized he couldn't think of the right one to say. Gaara almost laughed at the next comment. One of the best-loved students in the school had just said he thought Gaara was 'cool.' And that he couldn't work up the nerve to talk to him? Lee talked amiably with everything from classmates to small animals. Yet here he was saying he couldn't talk to Gaara? Maybe he was more formidable than he had thought.

Finally, Gaara reached the last comment. Lee was just standing there, looking a Gaara, and hoping that he wouldn't get angry, not trusting himself to say anything more. Gaara thought about that comment, 'I like you.' Gaara had heard those words, but those girls had been so fake it hadn't even registered. But here Lee was, staring at him with those big, brown, honest eyes. Gaara saw that Lee was scared. Why would he be scared? Because he'd just said 'I like you'? What had Lee meant by that, he 'liked' him? It was too ambiguous to think about too hardly. He could easily take it out of context.

"What do you mean 'I like you'? What does it mean to you when you say it to me?" Gaara asked, trying to understand. Those were the most words he'd ever said to Lee, they only having spoken to each other at this moment and the time prior to his suicide attempt. It was an effort he didn't really want to make, understanding Lee, but he did it anyway. Lee looked startled for a moment at the words, then embarrassed.

"Well, I mean, … Gaara? Can I tell you something?" Lee replied with a question, Gaara only becoming more confused. But he nodded, so Lee would continue. Here, Lee couldn't look at Gaara, he was too embarrassed. "I've wanted to be your friend, ever since I first saw you." Lee pushed his hand through his bangs, taking them away from his face, trying to work up the courage to continue. He didn't think he'd be saying this so soon! But he'd already started, he couldn't stop now. "I thought, 'One day, I'll talk with him! I want him to be my friend!' And ever since then I've been looking forward to the day when I could finally talk to you. I thought that maybe if you could even just tolerate me being around, I'd be okay with it. More than anything, I wanted us to be friends." Lee finished with a sigh, not feeling so confident now that he'd actually said it. There, he'd explained himself to Gaara. He could feel his legs growing weak; he was awaiting rejection, waiting for Gaara to tell him to leave him alone.

Gaara again tried to make sense of this. When had he first met Lee? Back in freshmen year, he was sure. But why would he want to be his friend? Of course, Lee wanted to be friends with everyone and everything, it was who he was. Gaara wasn't different; the only thing making the situation different was that he'd never become friends with Lee, like everyone else had. He'd never become friends with anyone, he realized. The closest thing he had to a 'friend' was that Naruto kid. And Gaara was sure that the blonde was just trying to annoy him. Here Lee was, telling him how much he wanted to befriend him. No one had accomplished that task, and Gaara thought that no one ever would. But the last part, 'more than anything'… Did Lee realize what he'd just said? Did Lee really mean that, 'more than anything'? That would make Gaara different from the rest; it meant that the teen cared for him 'more than anything.' Had Lee meant that? He couldn't have, there were plenty of people, plenty of things, Lee had to want more than Gaara's friendship. No, he'd spoken thoughtlessly; he just wanted to make Gaara feel better. Because that's who Lee was, he was a nice guy.

"Go…" Gaara started, and Lee could feel his heart breaking, "Lie down. You look like you're going to collapse." Lee looked down at his legs; he hadn't noticed how they'd started shaking. He nodded and went to his own bed, lying down and turning to face Gaara again.

"Please don't hate me." Lee whispered, not doing it so Gaara would hear, but Gaara did hear. Hate him? The thought hadn't crossed his mind yet. Why would he hate him? Well, now that he thought about it, had he been normal he would have hated him. He ruined him, ruined his attempt to get away, finally. He'd just told him a bunch of kind words thoughtlessly that meant nothing to him. And he had never even talked to him before. He'd made Gaara live, even though it was apparent that living wasn't what Gaara wanted to do. But to hate him? No, he didn't feel that strong of an emotion for Lee. There it was again, that word, emotion.

"You ruined everything," Gaara replied slowly, pausing before he continued. "But I don't hate you." It was true, he didn't hate Lee. He hated being alive right now, hated the stitches in his arm that stopped him from bleeding to death, he actually hated a lot more things and people. But he didn't hate Lee. He didn't know him well enough to hate him. He also didn't know him well enough to 'like' him. But then he remembered what Lee said about being able to 'tolerate' him. Yes, Gaara thought, that was what he felt for Lee. He tolerated him.

Lee continued too gaze blankly at Gaara. He was happy, but he couldn't curve his lips into a full smile, they wouldn't listen. 'I ruined everything for him,' Lee thought it over, it was true. Gaara had really wanted to kill himself, had wanted to give up. Lee had been selfish in following him, in keeping him alive. But had he died, how would that have affected Lee? Lee knew he wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he had been the last person to see Gaara, to talk with him. Had he left Gaara alone that night, he knew he would have blamed himself for Gaara's death; just as he was now blaming himself for Gaara's life. But, Lee thought, if Gaara was alive there was still a chance, a chance for him to be happy, a chance for him to enjoy life. On top of that, Gaara didn't hate him. There was still a chance, and that's all Lee needed to have to have a reason to keep trying. He was the kind of guy who never gave up, no matter what the circumstances were. Right now, though, Lee was feeling awfully tired. He'd fall asleep in a few moments.

"Gaara?" Lee asked, Gaara's reply was a small 'hn,' which urged him to keep talking. "Do you want your school work before I go to sleep?"

"Better to get it over with than let it pile up," was Gaara's reply, which Lee took as a 'yes.' He went to the table and grabbed Gaara's books for him, setting them on the bed so that they weren't touching Gaara, but within his reach.

"I'm glad your right arm isn't injured, but if you still need any help, just say the word. I'll try stay in a light sleep so I can answer. I also took some notes for you for the literature assignment. For yesterday and the day before. So you wouldn't have as much reading to do." With that Lee returned to his bed, on the verge of falling asleep when Gaara spoke.

"How'd all this get here?" He asked, knowing his siblings could have cared less if he fell behind in school.

"Naruto, he'll swing by again this afternoon to give us the stuff we'll be missing today." Lee slurred out sleepily, opening his eyes a bit to see Gaara's nod of affirmation.

Lee was fast asleep within the minute, Gaara noticed. Lee had said to say the word and he'd be awake, but Gaara highly doubted that. He started emitting light snores within the half hour. Gaara started on the schoolwork, doing it as efficiently as he could with one arm. He had to make up for two missed days, and a lot of his classes gave extra assignments. Gaara was glad the mechanical pencil Lee had left with the books still had a lot of lead in it. He had a lot to write down.

Immersing himself in his work, Gaara thought no more of Lee and his words that he didn't really mean. But Gaara found Lee's notes to be helpful, so he made a note to himself to try and thank him later. He usually didn't thank people, but people usually didn't give him a reason to thank them.

The doctor came into the room at around seven, the fluorescent lights and the morning sun making it rather bright in the room, to Gaara's dismay. The doctor froze for a moment, shocked to see Gaara up, his hand writing words across a page effortlessly as he propped the notebook up on his bent knees. He'd situated the bed so that'd he'd be in a comfortable position in which to work on his lessons.

"I see you're doing much better." The doctor said in his quiet, serious voice. Gaara looked up and finally registered that there was a man in the room. He was the doctor, Gaara assumed, recognizing the garb.

"Since you're up and seem to being doing fine physically I can take a few of those machines off for you. It'd be easier to do your work." The doctor says, moving towards his bedside. Gaara looks at the machines, pointing to the one he knows is giving him the blood he needs to live.

"You know how to pick them don't you? No, I meant the oxygen and nutrients, since you're breathing's become regulated and you could probably eat on your own now. Though, if you refuse to eat, I'll have to hook it back up." The doctor states, removing the device that had been shoved up his nose and one of the needles in his arm. He moved the machines to the closet, keeping the feeding device towards the front, knowing the suicidal ones usually tried to starve themselves. Now Gaara only had a few needles in his arm, disappearing into his bandaged forearm. The doctor didn't even mention removing the device that measured his heart beat. Because that was the device that would let them know immediately if he tried to kill himself again. They didn't really have to worry about that, since he knew he wouldn't be able to end it all now, anyway. Not as long as Lee was here, Lee wouldn't allow it. No matter how much Gaara wanted, Lee wouldn't allow him to die. Because he was a nice guy, Gaara told himself, because he cared for everyone.

"I'll have the nurse bring your breakfast to you. He can page the nurse when he gets up and she'll bring him his." The doctor said calmly before leaving, knowing that he wouldn't get Gaara talk to him. And he probably wouldn't be able to get Lee to talk to him like before. Since Gaara was awake now. Even if he didn't realize, the red head had complete control over Lee. Had he asked anything of Lee, the teen would have given him it. Everything but death, which was the only thing Gaara wanted. The doctor thought that maybe he should have been a therapist; he'd always been good at reading emotions and surmising situations. Never very good at giving advice, though.

When Gaara's breakfast arrived he picked at it, eating a bit of everything so they wouldn't complain. But most of it was left to sit there when he pushed the portable table aside and started on his work. He was done before midday, having spent more time on it than he usually would have.

Lee awoke a little after noon, feeling well rested and looking almost resplendent after his rest. He sat up stretching his arms and curling his toes. The hospital beds were so much comfier than what he was used to, he'd gotten some of the best sleep in his life these past couple of days. He was glad they were letting him stay with Gaara until he was well, not only for the perks of living in such a fancy place, but also because he didn't want to leave Gaara alone. The last thing he wanted Gaara to feel right now was loneliness. He remembered what Naruto had told him about making Gaara feel less alone. He'd stay with Gaara while he recovered, and planed on talking with the boy more once they started attending school again.

He finally looked over at Gaara's bed, expecting him to be asleep, surprised to find the dazzling eyes open at staring right back at him. He muttered something like good morning, Gaara corrected him that it was the afternoon now, and he apologized. Gaara wondered why Lee apologized so much. Maybe it was what came with being such a nice guy.

"Thank you," Gaara remembered to say, Lee just looking at him with a shocking look of handsome confusion. "For the notes." Gaara added, Lee finally understanding, nodding in confirmation.

"Not a problem, so you finished all your work?" Lee asked, walking over to Gaara's bed when he nodded. Lee quickly picked up the books and placed them on the table next to his own. He stretched again, really wanting to run, his legs getting a bit tired of resting. He tried to think of what day it was, remembering his usual running schedule. It was then that he was aware of it being Friday.

"Shoot!" He said out loud without even realizing it. He needed to call his boss and tell him he couldn't make it to work this weekend. Gaara watched as Lee rushed over to the phone in the room and quickly dialed in a telephone number he knew by heart. Gaara wondered whom he could be calling. A family member? His coach?

"Hey, is Mr. Ichiraku in? Yeah, please." Lee said into the phone. Gaara didn't like listening to one sided phone conversation, there was often too much left out of the conversation to make sense of the call.

"Hello, Mr. Ichiraku, I was wondering… Oh you saw it all on the news? Yes, I won't be able to come in this weekend. I'll try and make it there next weekend. Paid vacation this weekend? Thank you! I'll make it up by working twice as hard next weekend. No, I'm not a hero, but thank you. And thank you for being so lenient; you know how much I need the money. Okay, bye." Lee hung up the phone, letting out a sigh of relief as he did. Gaara inferred that the man he had talked to was his boss. Lee had a job? Everyone knew how much he practiced running, how did he manage? Gaara also speculated about the 'news,' Lee being a 'hero,' and how he needed money. He really knew little to nothing about Lee other than the obvious. Though, since Lee lived in the slums he didn't need to be a genius to figure out that he needed to money because of his lack thereof.

"Your boss?" Gaara asked, Lee nodded. "What was that about the news?" Gaara questioned, and Lee blushed instantly. Gaara couldn't figure out why the question had caused that reaction.

"Well, since you're pretty much famous and all, what happened was all over the news the other day…" Lee said quietly, like the media was his fault.

"So they know I tried to kill myself?" Gaara asked bluntly, but Lee swiftly shook his head, causing that shiny, rounded haircut to move it a rather appealing way.

"No, they just know you had an accident and I rushed you to the hospital." Lee replied, glad that no one knew what really had happened, even though the doctor could've taken a pretty good guess at it.

"Then why did he call you a 'hero'?" Gaara realized he was asking a lot of questions; he wasn't a very curious person and was surprised that he was talking so much with Lee.

"The reporters all said that. Because I ran to the hospital in record time carrying you they all think I'm some sort of hero." Lee said, but he wasn't excited about it, as most people would be. Lee was different from normal people, too, Gaara could tell. But maybe it was all a part of him being such a nice guy.

"You're fast, it's to be expect, I would think." Gaara replied with the only reasonable answer. Lee just shrugged, not one to accept compliments, they'd only make him arrogant. Though, Gaara's comment wasn't so much of a compliment as it was a statement.

"You're looking better already, with those tubes out of your nose." Lee commented as he leaned against the wall. Gaara barely heard him, though, his mind elsewhere.

"Where do you work?" Gaara questioned once again, not knowing where this bout of questions was coming from. He'd never been his questioning of something in his life. Lee made him wonder, though, made him question everything, even his own sanity, which wasn't so stable to begin with.

"Ichiraku's Ramen Shop. They also sell other foods and such but specializes in ramen. Naruto is always bugging me to bring him leftovers." Lee answered. He knew Gaara to be introverted, and was happy to answer his questions. He liked Gaara being inquisitive, especially when he was asking questions he could easily answer. Lee liked having the answers for Gaara.

"Speaking of which, I wanted to take a shower before he comes. I can still feel the sweat from the other day still on me. Do you mind?" Lee asked, moving towards the room's private bathroom. Gaara shook his head, not understanding why Lee would ask him permission to use the shower. He knew it wasn't normal, so it had to be one of Lee's personality quirks. He shut the door behind him and left Gaara in the empty room. Lee might have been right there, but the room seemed a lot bigger, much to big for just one person, like his room back at home. Like his whole house, much too big for just him and his two siblings.

Lee was glad to finally use the rest room, and quickly relieved himself before moving into the shower stall. It was at least two times bigger than the one he had in his house, and this one actually had hot water! Plus, he didn't have to worry about bugs coming from the drainage or the water actually coming out sewage. He'd hated that, he'd been forced to run to school and use the gyms showers before anyone could see him on more than one occasion. As he turned the instantly warm water on he let his muscles relax under the water's gentle massage. It felt so good, he didn't realize how long it took him to actually shower, coming out just before Naruto was due to show up. He put his clothes on that they had kept with his bag and backpack, not even bothering with the ruined sweats. They'd be comfier, but the bloodstains hadn't come out, even after the staff had washed them.

He came out of the shower, literally glowing, smiling and setting his stuff back in the small cabinet where it had been before. Gaara still wasn't sleeping, and looked up at him when he came out. Gaara's dazed frown was the polar opposite of Lee's welcoming smile. Gaara had been thinking this entire time of insignificant things, so that he wouldn't focus on the bigger questions, on Lee's words.

"Where did you get the clothes?" He asked, pointing to Lee's outfit with his good hand.

"It's what I was wearing before, they washed it a put it in here." Lee motioned towards the cabinet. "Your clothes are in there, but they're still stained pretty badly." Lee looked down at his own sweater, not even able to tell were there had been patches of blood before. "I'm surprised they got all the blood out of this."

"Do you think they'd even let me take a shower and change?" Gaara asked, not caring if his clothes were stained. In his current outfit he couldn't stand up without everyone getting a good look at his ass.

"We'll ask the doctor, but I'm sure they'll let you." Lee thought about it, and then came up with an idea. "When Naruto comes later I'll ask him to bring you some clothes, so you don't have to wear your stained clothes for your whole stay here. He's closer to your size than I am. Or I could ask him to go to your place and grab some stuff?" Lee asked, but Gaara shook his head. "Okay, then you'll have to deal with wearing Naruto's clothes. I'll convince him to let you borrow some." Lee then moved to sit on his bed, using the controls to turn it into more of a chair.

"This is so fancy! And the shower's really cool, Gaara, I hope they let you try it soon." It was then that Lee noticed Gaara's discarded breakfast, and his stomach immediately growled.

"You going to finish that?" Lee asked, Gaara shook his head again. Lee saw the table had wheels and moved it over to his own bedside.

"It's old, you could call the nurse and she'd get you the same thing only untouched." Gaara stated, not believing that Lee was really going to eat that cold, old food. Lee violently shook his head.

"I can't let such good food go to waste, it's fine." Lee replied before stuffing his face with the almost untouched eggs. They had to be disgusting by now, Gaara thought, but Lee looked as if he was truly enjoying it. Gaara had to wonder about Lee. Here he was, enjoying his hospital stay as if he were in a luxurious five star hotel. It looked like Lee's life wasn't as glamorous as Gaara had thought it was. Come to think of it, Lee never spoke of his life outside of school and practice to anyone. He knew that Naruto knew Lee somehow before he started attending the high school, even though Lee hadn't gone to their middle school. Furthermore, why did Lee need a job? He'd never seen the boy own anything other than the clothes on his back and the things he needed for school. Everyone knew Lee jogged to school in the mornings and returned the same way to his home, so it wasn't for a car. He lived in the slums, so his parents couldn't possibly need help paying the bills, unless they were unemployed. That thought angered Gaara, if they were unemployed why would they force their son to work? Gaara assumed Lee hadn't called home yet, and no one had come to visit either of them other than Naruto while Gaara was still passed out.

"Lee, isn't your family worried about you?" Gaara suddenly asked, the question out of the blue to Lee. He paused his consumption of the food so he could reply.

"Orphan." He answered quickly, instantly going back to eating whatever food was left on those plates.

That had not been the answer Gaara expected, though when he thought it over, he really should have been ready to hear that reply. How did Lee still smile like that? Gaara suddenly felt the one emotion he'd never felt before. He felt undeniably spoiled. Here, Gaara was feeling sorry for himself, when other than company and friendship, he had everything. He'd grown up being called names such as 'devil child,' and 'scum of the earth,' by his siblings, his father just cold in general. His father hadn't ever needed to even say anything to him to make Gaara know the man hated him. Come to think of it, maybe Lee was lucky to have no family, to have never known his parents. Gaara's emotions settled again, and he let the knowledge of everything seep into him once again. He decided in terms of hardships, him a Lee were about even. Lee having no family and no money, Gaara having plenty of money but an abusive family and life style. But when Gaara thought about it, he was now an orphan, too, since his father had just recently passed away, his mother having died in labor. That made Gaara the product of a death, which his siblings and his late father never let him forget. Gaara had grown hard hearted because of his adversities, but Lee had grown kinder because of it. He didn't see how that worked, and classified them both as most definitely being out of the norm.

"I guess we're both orphans together, then." Gaara said quietly, Lee barely having heard him. He didn't know how to reply, now being finished with the food.

"Yeah, I guess so." Lee replied absentmindedly, remembering that Gaara really was an orphan now, too. After a moment, Lee let himself ask the question that's been bothering him.

"Gaara, I'm going to ask you a question, but you don't really have to answer me if you don't want to." Lee paused, and looked over to see Gaara looking at him, telling him to go on. "What made you want to kill yourself?" Lee asked quietly, not really expecting an answer.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Gaara answered, knowing that this was his answer. Nothing had made him want to kill himself in particular, but nothing had made him want to live, either.

Lee didn't ask about the answer, just thought about it quietly to himself. 'Nothing,' Gaara had said, nothing had made him want to kill himself. Then why would he do it? The ambiguity of Gaara's answer frustrated him. He tried looking at it from Gaara's mindset, tried imagining how Gaara viewed things. Then he thought he'd ask the wrong question. He had said 'what,' when there wasn't something for Gaara to pin that what to. Nothing, Gaara had told him, absolutely nothing. Lee realized that this probably would have also been his answer had he asked 'What made you want to live?' Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The words repeated themselves in Lee's mind. They echoed menacingly.

"Gaara." Lee looked over at Gaara, who looked back at him, that blank look in his eyes. Lee didn't want to see that, the lifelessness. "I won't let you be lonely ever again." The look in Gaara's eyes lost its listlessness but it was replaced by disbelief. "I promise, you say the word, even after we're out of the hospital, and I'll be there for you." It was then that Gaara finally questioned Lee's being there in the hospital with him.

"Why are you even here?" Gaara asked coldly, and Lee had thought he meant that he wanted Lee to leave him alone. "You seem healthy enough to leave." Gaara added after a moment, Lee realizing that Gaara had just changed the subject without warning. He was getting more used to it by now, though. At least Gaara was listening to him, he could tell. He just wouldn't register what his comments meant yet. He wasn't accepting Lee's companionship, Lee thought.

"Well, I asked the doctor for special permission to stay here with you while you recover. I didn't want you to be alone for even a moment while you're still ill." Lee replied easily enough. Gaara gave him another look of disbelief, but nodded in affirmation nonetheless.

It was then that Naruto burst into the room merrily. "Hey bushy brows!" Naruto greeted Lee, placing the stack of papers right where he'd put them the day before, glad that he hadn't had to carry the books again. He looked over to see Gaara up and shot him a toothy grin. "Hey browless!" Naruto teased, laughing at his own joke.

"Hey Lee, did you steal his eyebrows or something?" Naruto continued to joke, but Lee just rolled his eyes.

"That joke has gotten old, Naruto. I think you need to come up with some new ones." Lee teased Naruto now, but the blonde just put his hands on his hips and pouted.

"Don't be mean! I was just trying to lighten the mood. The tension in this room before I came in here was so thick I could've suffocated." Naruto retorted, pretending to gag and die right there on the floor.

"That's not something you want to do in the hospital, Naruto, they might make you stay in one of the rooms around here until you're breathing right." Lee replied to Naruto's little act. He'd known him since they were kids, Naruto always having been like this. It was actually with Naruto's help that he'd gotten his job at the ramen shop. And Naruto never failed to remind him of that.

"Oh, all right, I think I've thoroughly ruined your seriousness anyway." Naruto replied, getting up to sit in the chair between the two beds.

"So, how's it hanging Gaara?" Naruto asked, turning his bright blue eyes towards Gaara's. Gaara just stared at him, still trying to get over all his jokes. The blonde was this hyper outside of school? He had thought Naruto would at least be a little more serious here in the hospital, but that didn't seem the case.

"No reply, as usual. Whatever, I can talk enough for you and me both." Naruto said, and then turned to Lee. "Gaara, so how do you feel about Lee now that he's saved your life and all?" Naruto then proceeded to try and imitate Gaara's unemotional, dark voice as he replied to the question for him. "I think the only way to repay him would be for me to become his slave; mind, _body_, and soul." Naruto barely finished before laughing, Lee's face instantaneously turning as crimson as Gaara's hair.

"I think I do a better impersonation of him than you, Lee." Naruto said through his laughter, Lee still too flustered to respond.

"Naruto! Please!" Lee said, his voice an octave higher that it should have been. Naruto just laughed harder at this.

"But you're so much fun to tease, Lee! Browless over here doesn't ever respond to anything I ever say. Isn't that right, Gaara?" Naruto asked, looking at Gaara's stoic face for a moment before replying to his own question once again.

"See? Like talking to a wall. Only I usually get more a response from the walls I associate myself with." Naruto replied, still all smiles and laughter. Gaara didn't like Naruto's constant joking on most days, but at this moment, he almost enjoyed the blonde's antics.

"Naruto," Lee tried again, the redness in his face starting to dull. Naruto looked up at him, still smiling but shutting up long enough for Lee to say whatever it was he had to say. "Do you think you could bring over some of your clothes for Gaara? He doesn't want to ask his siblings right now and I'm afraid my clothes would be much too big on him." Naruto looked like he was really thinking about it, deciding if you would or not.

"What do I get out of this, huh? Iruka doesn't buy me too many clothes, I don't have that many extra outfits…" Naruto started, but Lee already had his reply.

"I'll treat you to all the ramen you can eat once I get back to work." Lee offered, and that had Naruto nodding instantly.

"Alright, fine. You want black clothes, I assume?" Naruto asked, looking over at Gaara, who nodded after a moment. "Well, I'll try and find some."

"Make sure their comfortable, no jeans or skin tight shirts." Lee told Naruto, who just nodded at him.

"Yeah, okay, whatever. Anything else while I'm running around doing errands for you?" Naruto asked sarcastically, but Lee did have something else for him to do.

"Yes, actually. I need you to get some of my clothes as well." Lee said, and Naruto sighed dramatically.

"Come on Lee, you know I hate going to that side of town nowadays." Naruto complained loudly.

"Please Naruto? I don't want to leave Gaara by himself or I'd do it myself." Lee pleaded, Naruto sighed in defeat.

"Fine, gimme the key. But I'm doing this for the ramen and Gaara, not for you!" Naruto gave in, Lee getting up to grab the key out of his backpack.

"Thank you so much, Naruto!" Lee said, smiling and embracing his friend in a tight bear hug, spinning him around in a circle before putting him down again.

"You just make sure that ramen is fresh! I'm not going to settle for anything but the best when I come in for my reward!" Naruto retorted once Lee had put him down and he'd made his way to the door. After he'd left Lee sat back down on his bed, a successful smile of encompassing his features.

They had no time to recuperate from Naruto's visit before the Doctor entered the room. "You're looking better, Gaara." The doctor said, Gaara left to wonder at his comment. Was a look of bewilderment 'better' because he was sure he had one of those right now. Naruto might really be a nutcase, same with Lee. Then he realized this was coming for a boy who'd just tried to kill himself.

"Hey, Mr. Doctor sir," Lee started, not sure how to address him since he hadn't given them his name. He wore no nametag that Lee could see. Gaara thought Lee sounded like a small child when he talked like that. "Do you think Gaara would be able to clean up and change into his own clothes anytime soon?" Lee asked, getting right to the point for once.

"Well, the transfusion still needs a few more hours, but after that he should be able to. He'd just have to be careful with his stitches. And, I know you won't tell me the story, Lee, but you'd have to stay with him, or I won't allow it." The doctor added the last part with his suspicions fully exposed. Though, he was right, Gaara still didn't like how he assumed. Gaara also wondered why Lee hadn't told him the story, but decided it was for the better. Lee's face was red again, and Gaara still didn't know why.

"If it's alright with Gaara?" Lee questioned, looking over at Gaara shyly. Gaara realized they were talking about the shower.

"Yes, I guess so." Gaara replied, not really caring, as long as he could get clean and out of this stupid hospital gown.

"It's settled then, I'll be back later to unhook Gaara and check the stitches. Until then." The doctor said, leaving.

"Are you sure you're okay with this, Gaara?" Lee stuttered, his face steadily getting redder. Gaara nodded.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Gaara replied, leaving Lee to just become more flushed, neither of them saying another word to each other as the waited for Naruto to return, both deciding to work on their school assignments.

Naruto returned, complaining loudly and setting the clothes down on Lee's bed, not even staying to tease them. Said something about needing rest after running around town doing errands.

Now all they had to do was wait until the doctor said it was okay for Gaara to have his shower. The prospect had Lee flustered the entire time, so much so he couldn't focus on his work. What was wrong with him? He'd know exactly what was wrong with him sooner than later, the fated hour approaching ever so slowly.

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX**

I'm evil, I know, always leaving off with a cliffy. But there are NO good stopping points in this story. Probably why I keep writing it. I've gotta hurry and post this before the sun comes up, or it's gonna beat me! I was gone all afternoon so I stayed up writing it... Damn, I'm loving this story! Thanks for the reviews, I didn't reply becuase I was working on this, sorry. Thank you for reading!


	3. Part 3

**Warning: Sexual Content**

Chapter 3

The doctor came in to Lee nervously biting his pencil and Gaara's hand swiftly writing words across the pages of his workbook. Lee looked up at him instantly as he walked in, his nervousness perceivable from a mile away. Gaara finally registered that he'd enter after Lee stuttered a greeting. Gaara set his work aside, and Lee quickly got up to take it from the bed and put it on the table, setting his own work there, also.

"Now, Gaara, I 'm going to unhook you from the machines, but only because you should have the normal amount of blood in your system now. You're still at risk, and will probably feel lightheaded once you stand up. When you're done with your shower, one of you should call the nurse so she can bring the food and re-bandage the wounds. I'll have to re-hook you up to the hear rate monitor, just for safety precautions. Obviously, you can't wash your injured arm, and try to keep it out of the water, don't use it, though, set it on the rail and point the water away from it. If it starts bleeding you're to return to bed immediately." The doctor instructed, all while taking the needles and such out of Gaara, moving the machines to the side. He was addressing Gaara, but knew that Lee was the one who needed to hear it, since Gaara would probably not care either way.

"Have the nurse in here right after the shower's over. If anything happens you're going to be at fault, Lee." The doctor stated, but it came out a little harsher than he had meant it to. Lee gulped and looked at him determinedly.

"Of course, Doctor." Lee replied, the doctor left them again. Gaara sat up using his right arm, not wanting to test how well he could use the left one. He wouldn't push it, if he reopened his wound they would just have to operate again, and since they were in the hospital there was no escaping rescue. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and Lee was standing next to him at once, ready to support him if he needed to.

Gaara slowly stood up, lighted headed being an understatement; he had to lean on Lee while his eyes adjusted from their short term of blindness. As the dizziness faded he began to move forward, to the table where Lee had set the clothes down. Lee had chosen a pair of loose black slacks and a black somewhat baggy shirt that said some band's name on it. Gaara also notice Lee had retrieved Gaara's boxers, and he was glad to have at least those to wear. It would have been a bit awkward asking Naruto to lend Gaara some undergarments.

Lee stood by Gaara, who absentmindedly kept his good arm on Lee and his injured arm to his side. Lee grabbed the clothes for him and they made their way to the bathroom. Not without Lee getting a look at Gaara's exposed backside. Gaara didn't even attempt to cover it, not even bothering to tie the paper like hospital gown tighter so less of him would be showing. Lee felt the blood rush to his face again.

It wasn't because he was attracted to Gaara like _that_ or anything was it? Gaara was beautiful, Lee knew, and anyone would have been in awe. Lee just recognized that, and was blushing because it was awkward to see someone like that. Blood was not threatening to drip from his nose, that wouldn't make sense. Neither was he feeling a pooling of heat in the pit of his stomach, it wouldn't make sense. No, it wasn't like he'd never seen another guy naked before. He was in sports; he was completely okay with it. He'd just never seen such smooth, even skin, it was surprising. That's why he was blushing, it had to be.

Once they were in the bathroom Lee carefully shut the door behind them and set the clothes next to the sink, reaching into the cabinet under the sink to grab a towel, since they'd be needing it after Gaara was done. Once he turned around, though, Gaara was already fully undressed, weakly sliding the door open to the shower. Lee was careful to keep his eyes above the belt, and he succeeded while he helped Gaara get situated into the shower. Lee rolled up his sleeves and moved Gaara's injured arm carefully with his, having to stand behind Gaara in the shower to do so. But it was a pretty nice shower; Lee didn't think it was too crowded. As long as he kept his eyes above the belt, he was sure he was going to be fine.

Gaara knew Lee was uncomfortable, though, with his red face and shaky movements. He didn't shake when he helped Gaara with his arm, but there was a twitch in the fingers he wasn't using. Once Gaara's arm was in place as comfortably as it could possibly be, Lee backed away a bit. Gaara hadn't noticed the warmth from the body while it was there, but noticed it when it was gone. Lee then shifted his weight, not knowing quite what to do next.

"Do you think you can manage the rest?" Lee asked, ready to step over to by the door, so Gaara could at least have a little privacy. Gaara, on the other hand, didn't even seem to notice their close proximity. He thought he would have, but he didn't. No one had ever really been this close to him before, but it didn't seem wrong. After all, it was only logical; Lee had to help him, didn't he? He realized he could tolerate Lee helping him, but had it been some nurse he would have turned her away.

"No, I'll need help with my hair." Gaara stated, knowing that he couldn't have possibly expected Gaara to be able to wash his hair with one hand.

"Oh, you're right." Lee said, wondering how he was going to do this. He'd have to help Gaara wash his hair, which meant being in there while the water was running. He didn't want his clothes to get too wet to wear and didn't want to be naked in front of Gaara, suddenly very shy about that sort of thing. He'd showered with guys before, but this seemed too different. Too intimate.

Lee decided on stepping half way out of the shower, shedding his shirt and throwing it by the sink. He'd just have to stand as far back as possible so the water wouldn't hit him as much, but he could still reach Gaara. If his pants ended up getting too wet, oh well. At least he wouldn't have a wet shirt to deal with. Lee placed the shampoo and conditioner more towards himself, so he'd be able to grab them once Gaara was ready. It was like helping a one of the smaller kids at the orphanage wash their hair, only he was usually outside of the bathtub and if he looked below Gaara's waist right now he was sure that he'd blush so hard, blood would come out his nose.

"I'm going to turn the water on now." Gaara warned before he moved his good hand to the dial, making sure it was set to warm before letting the water flow. He was facing the facet, so the water hit him almost directly in the face, but after a quick flinch he was okay, the water not hitting him very harshly. He bent his head forward, wetting his hair while also trying not to let too much of the water hit Lee. It was awkward, since he couldn't move very well with his arm like it was. Once he felt his hair was wet he signaled Lee.

"Okay." Gaara said through the water, the rushing of the water almost blocking out his voice. But Lee heard him, only having gotten a little wet now, and most of it was on his torso. He was glad he'd taken of his shirt. He poured a generous amount of the shampoo into his hands, making sure to distribute the thick liquid evenly between his two hands before moving his hands to Gaara's now almost black hair. Gaara had to lean back a bit, so that the water would hit his chest and it wouldn't interfere with Lee washing his hair.

The hair was a beautiful dark crimson, Lee happy to be able to do this for Gaara. He massaged the syrup like liquid into Gaara's scalp; it quickly foamed up to cover the hair in white suds. Gaara felt Lee's hands carefully apply just the right amount of pressure to his scalp, knowing he wouldn't need to help Lee with this, it seemed he knew how to wash another person's hair. Lee made sure that all the locks of hair were attended to before stopping his light massage.

"Excuse me, Gaara." Lee said quietly before placing his bare arms in front of Gaara, it what was almost like an embrace, Lee having to move closer so that his hands could hit the water comfortably. He moved back again after the shampoo had been washed off his hands to let Gaara rinse it out of his hair. Lee once again determinedly kept his gaze about Gaara's waist. He backed away a bit, so the water wouldn't hit him as Gaara rinsed of his hair as best he could, using his right hand to make sure he got all the shampoo out.

Once Gaara was done he didn't need to say anything for Lee to start. Gaara leaned back a bit, and Lee started to rub the creamy liquid into his hair. He thoroughly applied it, almost going so far as to give attention to each individual hair. He rubbed it into Gaara's scalp, being careful not to put too much pressure into his touches. Gaara relaxed a bit under Lee's hands, welcoming the feeling for those hands on his head. Gaara usually took quick, cold showers, hurriedly and violently applying the soaps to his hair. But here, he indulged in this warm shower, not even having to move his own arms to feel that tingling sensation in his scalp. Gaara was almost disappointed when the hands left his head and circled around him to rinse off. Lee then stepped out of the shower entirely, since he was finished.

"Weren't you supposed to keep an eye on me?" Gaara remarked when Lee stepped out, not really knowing why he'd said it, but knowing he hadn't wanted Lee to leave him so suddenly.

"I can see you well enough through the shower's door, don't worry." Lee replied, being able to see Gaara's shadowed form through the opaque glass door. Gaara didn't respond, just rinsed the conditioner out of his hair. He didn't have to do much more than that, since the rest of him didn't really feel dirty; he only applied a little bit of soap to himself with his good hand. Gaara then turned the water off, and waited for Lee to help him with his arm. Lee came over to him with a towel around his neck that he'd obviously been using to dry off his chest.

"I hope that isn't my towel." Gaara said as Lee carefully helped Gaara bring his injured arm to rest at his side.

"No, there are plenty of towels, this is an extra." Lee answered, smiling a bit. Sometimes he found himself thinking of Gaara as 'cute' but realized that if Gaara ever knew he thought of him as 'cute' that Lee would probably be castrated or worse.

Gaara took a comprehensive look at Lee's half naked form, noticing how toned it was. It wasn't overly muscular, but just enough to say he had a sportsman's physic. The muscles were toned, but not bulging, something Gaara had seen and thought repulsive. No, Lee was just muscular enough to be in very good shape. Lee then exited the shower stall, grabbing a towel and handing it to Gaara while looking away. Gaara took the towel, stepped out of the shower, and dried himself off as best he could with one arm, getting everything but the arm itself and his hair.

"Lee." Gaara said with a bit of annoyance. How much did he expect Gaara to do with only one arm? Lee turned around, a shy smile on his face. He saw Gaara's extended arm, holding the towel out for him to take. It took him a long moment to realize he was supposed to finish drying Gaara off.

"Oh, sorry." Lee apologized before he quickly dried Gaara's arm. He then placed the towel over Gaara's head, gently rubbing the water out of his hair as best he could without hurting Gaara. Once Lee was done he turned around to put his shirt on, Gaara taking this chance to relieve himself, since it'd be pointless to get up later when he really had to do it. Once he was finished Lee was done with trying to dry his pants, tossing his towel into the clothes hamper, picking up Gaara discarded towel and hospital gown to also put them in there.

Gaara tried to get dressed with the one hand, and struggled into his boxers before Lee came to aid him. Naruto's pants fit all right, the waist being just right with the legs being a little long. Lee cautiously slipped Gaara's injured arm through the shirt first, then moved to help Gaara get his head in, Gaara being able to get his arm through the other hole by himself. The shirt was also approximately his size, also. Lee had been right when he'd said Naruto's clothes would fit him.

Lee retrieved a plastic comb from somewhere under the sink to brush out Gaara's hair, it being even more of a mess than usual since Lee had just rubbed the water off of it. Using both of his hands, he swiftly combed Gaara's hair away from his face, using one hand to comb the hair and the other to smooth it down. Since it was still pretty wet, it actually stuck like that and Gaara looked into the mirror in surprise. There he was, Gaara knew it was him in the mirror only because it had to be. The eyeliner gone, with only slight bags under his light blue eyes, the hair combed back into a sophisticated sort of style, it didn't look like him. Much too handsome, he thought, too much like a man who should be wearing a suit and posing in a magazine. He used his right hand to mess his hair up again, Lee sighing in defeat.

"I thought it looked nice." Lee said with the sigh, and Gaara thought he'd have to agree with Lee. It did look nice, and that wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want to look handsome like that. Lee then opened the bathroom door, knowing they were done. After he had Gaara sitting on his bed, Lee paged the nurse, who came in right away with clean, white bandages.

"Good evening." She greeted with a smile before moving to Gaara and unwrapping the soiled bandages. Once she'd checked the stitches to make sure they were okay she re-wrapped Gaara's arm. As she walked towards the door she grabbed the tray of empty plates off of the portable table.

"Thank you." Lee managed to say before the nurse left the room, only to come back in a few minutes with another portable table with two trays of fresh food on it.

"Here's your dinner. The doctor will come to see you shortly." The nurse said, placing one of the trays on the table next to Lee's bed and rolling the other table over to Gaara.

"Thank you once again." Lee replied, smiling brightly. This time the nurse turned to smile back before leaving. Lee looked down at the food, his eyes already glistening in a glee filled haze. Gaara simply started to pick at the various types of food given to them, making sure to eat just enough so that they couldn't complain. It's not that he wanted to starve himself, but he really had a small stomach, he was never able to eat much. Lee, on the other hand, was always ready to eat, his stomach a bottomless pit. Though, he could get by with little to no food, he ate as much as he could when given the chance to. Almost like a starving man, who eats himself to death when offered an endless feast. Or the parched desert dweller that drinks himself to death when given an oasis of water.

"Gaara, you should really eat more than that." Lee comments, having stopped his eating without Gaara noticing. Lee had realized Gaara had already stopped eating, and Gaara hadn't finished his breakfast either.

"They've provided too much food." Gaara responded, which was true. Had they given him on tenth of what was on the plate now he might have tried to finish it all. But this was definitely too much food for him.

"Please Gaara, try and finish a little more." Lee pleaded, Gaara almost ready to cave in and pick up his fork again. It would have been much easier than staring into those concerned brown eyes.

"Yes, you really should eat more, Gaara. You're body needs extra strength so it can heal itself faster." The doctor suddenly chimes in, neither of them having noticed his entrance. Now Gaara knows he doesn't want to eat anymore, at least, not until the doctor left. Then maybe he'd try a little more, to humor Lee.

The doctor proceeded to connect Gaara to the heart rate monitor once again, checking the machine to see Gaara's current condition. "I'm glad to say it looks as if you're at a normal heart pattern. The blood transfusion was a success; thanks to your family's personal reserve it went smoothly. We'll keep you in the hospital a few more days at most, but you will have to be monitored outside of the hospital when you leave, having your family doctor come to check you at least once a day for a week. After that, if your heart rate is normal and you're in good health, the doctor will come only if you call him with a complication. You'll be checked once again at the end of a month's time, if you're still healthy then, you'll have recovered completely." The doctor reported, Lee smiling at the news.

"I'll only come in here to check on you every so often, but you should be on your way back home by the middle of this upcoming week." The doctor nodded to them before leaving. He had plenty of patients to attend to, the emergency room always filling up during the weekends. Tomorrow night would be the worst, car crashes, bar fights, idiotic stunts, and all these things only caused him more work. He was glad Gaara was doing better, now he wouldn't have to worry too much about him.

"I'm glad you're going to be all right, Gaara." Lee said, beaming at Gaara with that smile that was too bright for him to handle.

"Eat your food." Gaara said, picking up his fork to show that he was going to try again. Lee tore into his food once again, while Gaara picked at the meat they'd brought him. It was some sort of fowl, he knew, probably chicken. He finished a little more of that, and ate a little more of the bread roll for the carbohydrates. When he looked back over at Lee he'd already finished. Gaara wondered if he even tasted it, he'd eaten it so quickly.

After they set the food aside, Lee happily finishing Gaara's once Gaara had eaten enough to satisfy Lee, they worked on their school assignments once more. They did Literature first, since they had that class together. They did the reading quietly, Gaara finishing before Lee, his pencil flowing effortlessly over the paper, placing the answers in the correct spots. Lee wasn't as graceful, having to check his answers and bite at his pencil to try and figure out how to word his answers. He wasn't dumb, but he wasn't naturally smart like Gaara. He worked hard for everything, his hard work always paying off. Once Lee was done he put his pencil down and turned a bit towards Gaara.

"Could we compare answers now?" Lee asked, and Gaara nodded. "Okay, for number one I got 'The reason James finds his invention a failure is because he though Hamilton had invented something much more useful.'"

"When in truth it was Hamilton's invention that was the failure." Gaara replied, and Lee nodded.

"Okay, I'm good with problems two trough six, how about you?" Lee asked, and Gaara nodded. "But what did you get for number seven?"

"'When Marie told James about the success of their expedition the reason James seems disinterested is because he can't stop thinking about what Hamilton had told him about Marie. He doesn't accept Marie anymore and now refuses to even give her a chance, assuming the worst and not lettering her explain herself.' What'd you get?" Gaara asked, looking over his paper at Lee. Lee gave him a shy smile.

"Well, I guess it's basically the same answer, but with fewer words. You didn't have any trouble with any of the problems did you?" Lee asked, and Gaara shook his head. "And you answered them so easily! I'm inspired!" Lee smiled triumphantly.

"You're amazing Gaara!" He continued, jumping from his chair to excitedly give Gaara one of his 'nice guy' poses. Gaara wrinkled his non-existent eyebrows at this, not seeing why Lee was so excited. "I'll have to work twice as hard, just to catch up with you." The words themselves were usually said forlornly, but Lee said them with such exuberance that Gaara was beyond confused. Why would Lee compliment him like that, and act so merrily about Gaara being smarter than he was? Lee was… confusing, but for some reason Gaara felt himself drawn to try and understand him. Maybe it's because Gaara liked knowing the answers to things, always finding the answer. He'd never really had to struggle with something to figure it out before, but with Lee… He learned that Lee was probably going to try and change the way he lived. Try and change him. Gaara couldn't decide whether that was a bad thing or not.

"Gaara?" Lee questioned, looking at Gaara, sitting on his bed once again. Gaara looked up at him, but Lee just shook his head, still smiling. "Let's get back to work. Since we're both done with literature let's work on our other subjects." Gaara nodded, and they worked in silence for a long while, the only noises being the ticking of the clock, the scratching of the pencils against paper, and the small beeping noises of the machine connected to Gaara. Everything seemed silent, though just outside that door the hospital was bustling, nurses and doctors frantically working to save lives.

Lee found himself stuck on a particularly hard math problem, the kind he'd usually skip until he had the time to ask the teacher to explain the process once more. Mathematics was hard for him, but he managed to get through his classes with his stubbornness and determination. He was thinking of leaving the problem but almost hit himself in the forehead for forgetting something so obvious. He could ask Gaara for help, Gaara being in a higher math class, he had to know how to do this. But what if Gaara didn't want to help him? It didn't hurt to ask, Lee thought.

"Hey, Gaara, could you help me with this problem?" Lee asked, and Gaara looked up after a moment, only to give him a small nod.

"Bring it here." Gaara replied, and Lee did just that, taking his math book and notebook over to Gaara's bed. He set it down so they could both look at it without it bothering Gaara's arm or the cord connected to it.

"Number forty eight." Lee said, Gaara looking to find the problem. He took Lee's notebook and put it onto his lap with his good hand. He copied the problem down on the piece of paper. After looking at it for a second Gaara started writing out all the steps he could remember, now knowing all the shortcuts, but not wanting to use any that might confuse Lee. It took him longer than his one of his problems would have since he did have to write out each and every step. Once he was done he handed the notebook back to Lee, who had just gazed at him, amazement in his eyes.

"There. That should make it easier." Gaara said, and Lee nodded in appreciation.

"Thank you so much, Gaara!" Lee replied, picking up his book off of Gaara's bed. Lee didn't know why, but he wanted to kiss Gaara's forehead to show his gratitude. Luckily he fought this impulse, because Gaara would've most definitely not approved of that.

Gaara didn't say anything in recognition to Lee's appreciation. Lee got excited over the slightest of things. He went back to working on the last of his assignments as Lee did the same. They didn't notice the time as it approached one in the morning, but they were both finished with their work about that time. Gaara having had more work than Lee, so he was done at the same time as him even though he was a faster worker.

"I think it's about time we got some rest." Lee said, yawning and stretching his arms wide. Gaara looked over at him, indifferent. Lee remembered how he hadn't seen Gaara sleep since he'd awoken. "Especially you, Gaara, why haven't you slept yet?" Lee questioned, once again showing his concern openly.

"I haven't been tired." Gaara replied. He wasn't able to sleep easily; only able to sleep when he was completely exhausted. Though, he was approaching exhaustion right about now.

"Will you sleep now, at least?" Lee practically begged. Since Gaara was already feeling like he could do with an hour or two of sleep he nodded, and Lee smiled brightly at him in thanks, what Lee could be thanking him for, Gaara couldn't know. Using the controls of his bed to make it less of a chair and more of a bed, Gaara prepared for rest. Lee did the same, and of course fell asleep before Gaara could even start to try and sleep.

He never fell asleep instantly, his mind reeling as he tried to find that peaceful place in which he could rest called slumber. The events that had taken place recently flooded his senses. Things were complicated now, even more so than before. Failed attempts at suicide only led to horrible things, having to deal with the life he had wanted to leave so much. He'd failed, and now he would have to deal with the consequences of living a life that he didn't want. A life that wasn't his to live. A life he would have to live against his will. Now he'd be watched more carefully, now he couldn't escape so easily.

He had tried not to think about all this before, tried to focus on the present, for as long as he could. But the thoughts took a hold of him now, overwhelming him. And it was all Lee's fault. No, he said he didn't hate Lee. Though he could still hate what Lee had done to him. Did Lee even realize what he did or said before he acted? Gaara couldn't believe that he did, considering all Lee had done over the past couple of days. Did he really mean anything he said? Everyone hated Gaara, how could Lee say that he cared for him? He may never get the chance to end it all now, because of Lee. And Lee couldn't care forever, even if he did care. The one man, who Gaara had finally trusted enough to believe, had betrayed him. No one ever cared for him because of who he was, because of who he is. But is he the same? He felt himself falling apart a bit at the seams, maybe because of the seams now literally holding him together. So bent on self-destruction he'd hadn't thought of the possibility of living afterwards. So sure that no one would care for him in the slightest, that he didn't know what to do with Lee but deny him. Deny his very existence, or at least, tell himself that Lee would not exist in his reality after he was healed. Lee was only doing this because this is what Lee would have done for anyone. Lee had said those words because those are the words he would have told anyone.

Gaara opened his eyes a bit, and looked over to the man who was haunting his thoughts. His lips were slightly parted, breath coming out in light huffs, his face slightly flushed. He probably wasn't used to having a heater on while he slept, so the bed might have been quite warm to him. His hair was also sticking to his face a bit, the silky darkness falling over the white pillows to make a sharp contrast. He should have taken off some clothes before resting; he wouldn't have been sweating as much.

"…Gaara…" Lee mumbled in his sleep, making a few more utterances that were not clear enough to know what he was saying. Gaara had opened his eyes a bit more at this. He checked and Lee was surely still asleep. Gaara had never heard someone talk in his sleep before, and suddenly he wanted to know what Lee was dreaming to make him say his name like that. He wondered if Lee would speak again, he wanted to wait and see if he would. But before Lee made another stir Gaara found himself encased in an exhausted sleep.

Gaara should have been glad he didn't know what Lee was saying, glad he hadn't stayed up to watch Lee in his sleep. Lee's dreams would have scared even Gaara, though the Gaara in Lee's dream didn't seem frightened at all. Lee's subconscious wasn't something he could control. And unfortunately for him it decided to take over his usually dreamless sleep tonight.

In the dream, it was that evening all over again. They'd just entered the bathroom, everything else beforehand happening exactly as it had that day. Lee once again helped Gaara into the shower, but instead of just throwing off his shirt, this time he stripped himself of all his clothing. He stepped into the shower behind Gaara, closing the shower's door once he was in. When Gaara gave him the go ahead to wash his hair, Lee did just that. As he finished, though, and moved his hands around Gaara to rinse his hands off, it slipped. Lee's determination slipped a bit and he looked down as he backed away from Gaara.

The steam from the shower accented the pale body before him in all the right places, making it seam as though there was a celestial being before him. He just stood there, leering at Gaara, like he'd never seen anything like it before. Which he hadn't, it was much too wondrous to be compared to anything he'd seen before. Gaara was beautiful, he'd already admitted that, but now he also had to admit that Gaara was _sexy_, undeniably so. Against his better judgment Lee placed a hand on Gaara's waist, just above his hip. The curve was almost feminine, but still unquestionably masculine. It felt just as good as it looked, and Lee wondered if the taste would be just as sweet. The steam clouding his mind he leaned down to place his face at the nape of Gaara's neck, letting it rest there to inhale Gaara a bit before anything else.

"Lee…" Gaara whispered, but not angrily. No, in fact, Lee thought it might have just been the opposite. Could Gaara be enjoying this? Lee flicked his tongue out, to test Gaara's reaction. He was given a delicious moan in reply, Gaara arching a bit towards him, practically telling him to do it. Lee didn't want to disappoint, so he let his lips curl back and nipped the skin with his teeth. After a few more pants and groans of passion Lee let himself bite down, not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to at least leave his own sort of temporary tattoo. Lee backed away a bit after that, realizing just what they were doing, and what this would lead to.

"Gaara…" Lee panted, his voice dipped in fervor, coated with sweet promises. "If we keep this up we might…" He paused, knowing that Gaara would get what he meant. Gaara looked over his shoulder at Lee. There was a tiny ember of passion there, Lee could clearly see it. So much better than that lifelessness he'd seen in those eyes not too long ago. He wished he could make those eyes look like that forever.

"Are you okay with that?" Lee asked, but Gaara didn't answer audibly, forcefully grabbing Lee's chin and yanking him down into a fiery kiss. Of all the people his first kiss could have happened, of all the places it could have happened, he would have never guessed with Gaara in one of the Hospital's showers. Of course, for some reason he knew it was no big deal. That's because this was only a dream, but he didn't realize that yet.

Lee moved in front of Gaara, the hot water now hitting Lee's shoulders, blocking their faces from the water so they could get better access to each other. When they parted Lee let his look wander again, ready to bow before the man in front of him, give that body the worship it deserved. He instead wrapped his arms around the naked boy before him, bringing his lips together in another spine tingling kiss. Shudders of need and want coursed through him, all of the eventually coming back to ball up in his loins. He was becoming hard; it hit him faster than he'd ever thought possible, Gaara getting aroused by Lee's erection. Lee once again left Gaara's lips, bending to reach other parts of the crimson haired man before him. Gaara was so beautiful, his body Lee's own personal territory, newly acquired land that he needed to explore.

Lee kept moving his head downwards, kissing and loving every part of Gaara along the way, teasing his nipples to such sharp points that Lee knew Gaara's abdomen had to hurt from the pleasure. He dipped his tongue into the small, perfectly shaped belly button, water now cascading down Gaara's body once again, Lee lapping up a bit more before moving on to the one object that stood there, at full attention, ready for him to shed his love upon it. This was too perfect, everything was too perfect as Lee readied himself to take Gaara into his mouth and give him the worship he craved to bestow upon him. It was heavenly, and too much like a dream…

'Fuck.' Lee thought as he came out of his sleep. He rarely cursed, even in his thoughts. But this was a special occasion, as his lower half reminded him. He'd just had his first sexual dream, and furthermore, it'd been about the man resting in the bed next to his. Knowing he wouldn't be able to get rid of the annoyance in his pants right there, Lee got up to move to the bathroom as quickly as he could, thanking all that was good that Gaara was asleep. He'd probably been moaning in his sleep.

Lee closed the seat of the toilet and sat upon it, letting out a sigh of exhaustion. He didn't want to be up yet, but he also didn't want anyone to see him like this. Moving his hand to the top of his pants, he unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, the painfully hard erection now completely visible. He checked to make sure the door was locked, and then slid his pants and boxer shorts down to free the hardened member.

At the age of eighteen, Lee was legally an adult, but had yet to ever partake in a sexual act, even an act like this. It's not that he didn't know how to masturbate; it was the fact that he'd never had to do it before. He'd never really had that many fantasies, being too busy for them and all. He'd put effort into so many other things that he realized he'd never even kissed someone before. He didn't mind it so much, and had never let it get to him. And he'd heard about sexual dreams, the kind that left you stiff when you woke up. This was his first time experiencing one. He blamed it on himself, for having let himself being in that position with Gaara earlier.

His hand moved swiftly up and down his length, pumping it harder as he felt his own climax coming. Lee knew he shouldn't have given in and agreed to help Gaara in the bath. He had been aware that he was drawn to Gaara somewhat, but to what extent he hadn't known. He should've just let one of the nurses take care of it, one of them would have agreed to it with gusto. Lee bit back a moan, his teeth digging into his bottom lip to the point where they might have been drawing blood. But Lee didn't notice, he was too focused on stifling the scream. But when he thought about it, he didn't want any of those nurses, male or female, touching Gaara. He'd grown protective over him, he wanted him. Lee wanted Gaara so badly he thought he might just explode.

Which he did, with the heavenly image of Gaara's body as it had been in his dream. He knew it would be harder the next time he helped Gaara out in the shower to not look down. He hoped Gaara would wait until he was able to take a shower on his own before he bathed again. Lee wouldn't be able to control himself after that dream. Lee cleaned up what had he'd spilt embarrassedly, pulling up his boxers and pants the instant he was finished. He flushed the tissue he'd used to clean up down the toilet, glad to be rid of the evidence as he washed his hands and splashed cold water onto his face.

Wait, it would have been so much easier for him had he just taken a cold shower to calm himself down! He'd completely forgotten, and would most definitely save that trick for next time, if he needed it. But there were so many reasons he couldn't get excited about Gaara like that, he told himself as he continued to splash his crimson face, it slowly turning back to it's normal pale bronze. One was because he was trying to become Gaara's friend. That was a feat hard enough to accomplish, he couldn't even begin to hope to be more than that to Gaara. Even if Lee felt this feeling for Gaara forever he knew he'd be happy if Gaara could just become his friend. He'd be able to live with these pent up feelings if Gaara could accept him as a comrade.

Moving to turn off the faucet he thought of reason number two. Gaara would never accept his feelings, these feelings, even if he confessed them to Gaara. If it was this hard to earn his friendship he couldn't imagine how he could earn his love, even if it was just his physical love. He deemed to task impossible.

As he grabbed the hand towel to dry off his hands and face, number three came to him. Right now, Gaara was legally off limits to Lee. Gaara was only seventeen, he could be arrested if they had physical relations, and he knew that he probably would be. Even if somehow all the pieces fell into place and they wanted to have a physical relationship like that, they couldn't. The law prohibits it.

He finally came out of the bathroom, feeling a little sick knowing that if Gaara had been awake he might have been in serious trouble. But Gaara was asleep, surprisingly asleep. He sat back down on his bed, looking at the red head of his dreams. His face was slack and vulnerable in sleep, something you never saw in his waking moments. He looked more peaceful now than he had when he'd been unconscious. Other than his face, though, Gaara didn't change much when he slept, lying on his back in an almost corpse like position. Lee knew how close he'd been to being a corpse, and hated thinking about it. He was safe now, he was breathing, Lee able to see the slow intakes and releases of breath.

It was about seven in the morning, Lee finally noticed. The lights hadn't been on, it'd been the sun coming up ever so slowly on this cold, January morning. Lee decided to stay awake, since it was already light outside anyway. Gaara awoke as the sun light hit his bed though the window, feeling like he'd gotten too much sleep and groggy. He saw the light, and then he noticed it was morning.

"Morning Lee." Gaara said, knowing that Lee was awake. His voice was hoarse from sleep, and he didn't like it much.

"Good morning, Gaara." Lee replied smiling, happy that Gaara had greeted him first, unprompted. It meant that they might actually be getting closer.

Gaara turned to look at Lee, who was smiling fondly at him. All thoughts of doubting Lee left him for a moment as he didn't smile for Lee, but lightened his expression. This was enough to make the foolish young adult grin like an idiot, and Gaara almost regretted his actions, his face hardening again. Lee would have to stop smiling like that at him, or Gaara might just start to believe him.

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX**

I don't think I've ever written sex this early on in a story before. ((Not including the one shots I'm being too lazy to finish and post)) Well, whatever, it's all fun and games for me, this fanfiction. So I'm sorry if I dissapoint. I'm also sorry if you thought I was going to post daily and thought this chapter would be out sooner. I'll try and type the next chapter sooner rather than later. Thank you so much for reading and a huge thanks for everyone who has reviewed thus far. Maybe I'll keep this thing going for longer than a couple more chapters if you guys continue to like it so much...


	4. Part 4

Chapter 4

Gaara had to leave the room for most of the morning, the doctor and a few nurses coming in to take him away to a place where they could perform various tests on him, to see how healthy he was now. He was to be given the best of care; he was on the priority list. Lee had asked if he could accompany them, but he'd been denied. They told him Gaara would be all right, he wouldn't have to worry. Lee thought that he'd take a nap, but he couldn't help but worry. Gaara seemed much better now, but not everything is how it appears to be. He knew there were plenty of risks, considering the blood transfusion and the length of the cut they had to stitch up.

To Lee's relief, Gaara returned a little before noon, and the doctor said that everything was good thus far; they'd have to wait for some of the other test results, though. From the looks of it, Gaara's body had easily accepted the blood. The stitches were fine and everything seemed to be in order. But Gaara's face looked more forlorn than before, Lee wondered if he should ask him why. He gave into his curiosity once the doctor had left and asked.

"Is something wrong?" Lee questioned, Gaara giving him a blank stare for a moment, deciding if he'd answer or not. Lee's look of concern made him give in a bit, and he grew angry with himself for admitting that Lee was concerned. Well, Lee was always concerned for someone, but was he genuinely concerned, that was the question. If Gaara let himself believe Lee was genuine he might give in and grow attached to Lee. Gaara didn't realize that he was already attached to Lee, and even if he didn't recognize his connection to the other boy, it was still there.

"My siblings have to sign a release form." Gaara replied almost inaudibly. Lee gave him a look of confusion before realizing what he meant. They hadn't asked Lee for his guardian's approval because he was an adult already. But Gaara had just turned seventeen; he still needed his elders to okay everything for him.

"They have to let you go eventually, even if they don't sign the forms right away, right?" Lee asked, not knowing exactly how it worked. He'd never really been to the hospital, not without one of those women from the orphanage with him. And even then he'd never stayed more than half of a day.

"I was scheduled to leave Wednesday, they've already cleared that. I could leave as soon as Monday, though, granted permission." Gaara answered, looking out towards the window, away from Lee's eyes. Those eyes forced him to answer things, even if he usually didn't answer anyone. Even his teachers had given up on making him participate in class discussion, most let him get away with it since he was much smarter than the other students and did all of his other work anyway.

"Why wouldn't they give you permission to leave? Your siblings, I mean." Lee inquired quietly, hoping it wasn't a touchy subject. Though, most subjects seemed to be awkward subjects with Gaara.

Gaara didn't answer for a long moment, not really wanting to, the reason clear in his mind. Why did he have to explain it to Lee? He didn't. He answered anyway. "They will probably want me here as long as I can be. They will insist I stay for whatever reason they can find."

Lee continued to give Gaara a bewildered look, another 'why' beginning to take form on his lips. Gaara answered him before he could ask. "I'm an unwanted burden to them." Now Lee's lips formed a tiny 'o' with a silent gasp. He was flustered after a second, for reasons Gaara couldn't comprehend.

Lee gave him a determined look before replying, "You are not unwanted Gaara, at least, not by everyone. I do not know your siblings, though, so I cannot speak for them." Gaara heard the words, but they didn't translate into his mind very well. Had he really thought no one wanted him? Well, he hadn't thought anyone wanted him, so in a round about way he had believed that. But the way Lee said it; he suggested that someone did want him. He would ask before he assumed.

"So, do you want me, Lee?" Gaara asked, not knowing what his words would imply at that moment. Lee turned a deep shade of crimson, and almost shook his head. He couldn't say he wanted Gaara! That was inappropriate. But when he saw the serious look in Gaara's features, he knew that if he gave him a negative answer, Gaara would go on thinking he was unwanted. So, instead, he sheepishly nodded. Because, no matter how true it was in so many different ways, it was completely embarrassing.

Gaara finally realized why Lee had gone red like that; he'd taken it sexually. Yet he'd still given a nod of affirmation. That only made things more puzzling, yet interesting. Had Lee only done it to spare his feelings? That idea would drive Gaara mad. This man sitting across from him on that hospital bed so much like his own kept showing him so much care. But, Gaara kept reminding himself, it could all just be because it was in Lee's nature to do so. If this were true, Gaara would never get over it. He could never accept something that would mean so much to him, but was only given to him out of pity. If Lee were only showing him compassion out of pity, he would pay. Yet Gaara couldn't find the words to ask Lee what he was doing, why he was here. Why did Lee care so much? Gaara would have to find a certain way to word it, so that Lee's answer couldn't be ambiguous.

Lee had finally calmed himself down enough to stutter, "Of course, not in _that _way, no." He'd mumbled it so softly and stuttered so much Gaara almost didn't understand him. Gaara grinned inwardly at this. 'If this is how he acts when he doesn't feel that way for me…' he thought, knowing Lee was either lying or easily flustered. The answer was most likely a combination of the two. Gaara was used to people admiring his looks, though he couldn't see what they liked so much himself. He understood the effect he could have on people nowadays, but that wasn't what he wanted. Sometimes, he wished he were hideous, so that so many people wouldn't say that stupid phrase about him. The girls and every so often a boy that says they 'love' him. Very few said it to his face, but they said it nonetheless. Had he been repugnant, people wouldn't say that about him, and he wouldn't have to worry about anyone caring for him because of the way he looked. Though, had he been ugly, they would have given him pity. And that is an emotion Gaara could not stand in the slightest.

Lee was getting used to Gaara's bouts of silence, where it was obvious that he was thinking. What he was thinking about, Lee could never even try to guess, though one day he hoped that he'd know Gaara well enough to guess. He actually hoped one day Gaara would share his thoughts with him, as they occurred. But Gaara wasn't that type of person. And even if he did win over Gaara's trust, Gaara still wouldn't be talkative. If Gaara became talkative, Lee might actually be frightened.

They both heard the loud annoying knocking at the door, turning towards it as the guest let himself in. Though, he definitely did not go unannounced. The blonde entered the room with a loud slam of the door and a smile that was too bright to look at directly on his face. Both had known who it was before he'd even burst through the door.

"Naruto Uzumaki here, ya hear?" Naruto announced as he assaulted them with his smiles. Lee shot him a friendly grin back, chuckling a bit a shaking his head.

"I believe the whole hospital heard you, Naruto." Lee replied, Naruto now shutting the door behind himself and striding over to their beds. He pulled a chair in between their beds and planted himself right there, sitting in the chair backwards and putting his chin on his crossed arms that were lying on the back of the chair.

"I think I arrived right on time, you both look so bored it hurts." The blonde grinned, looking from Lee to Gaara, then back to Lee. Everything was bright about him, his bright blue eyes, painfully yellow hair, and of course his ever present smile. Lee couldn't help but smile with him and Gaara could only frown slightly, wondering where all his energy came from. Ramen didn't have sugar in it, did it? Gaara had never had the stuff, so he wouldn't know.

"No, I'm not so much bored as I am anxious. I wish there were some way I could train without leaving…" Lee said, haphazardly, already thinking of all the running he could be doing right now.

"You don't always have to run, Lee. Don't tell me you're already having memory loss problems, knowing you, you'd forget your name before you forgot your practice schedule." Naruto teased, a look of enlightenment forming on Lee's face. How could he forget? There were crunches, push-ups of all kinds, and if he could find a nice pole or metal bar on the ceiling he could most certainly do pull-ups.

"Yes, you're right! Thank you, Naruto, I should start right now!" Lee almost squeaked in happiness. He started to get up but Naruto was quick and pushed him back down onto the bed.

"No, knowing you you'll start and won't stop until you're ready to pass out. I don't want to be here for that." Naruto said, Lee sighing in defeat.

"Why are you here anyway, it's Saturday afternoon, you usually aren't even up yet. Did Iruka kick you out of the house again?" Lee asked, giving Naruto a knowing, sympathetic smile. Gaara didn't follow, but that was mostly on account of his not caring enough to keep up with the conversation.

"Yeah, gave me twenty bucks and told me to go to the mall or something. The way he was getting ready I could tell he was inviting that perverted Professor over again! That guy's so weird; his white hair can't be natural, right? He's only a few years older than Iruka; he has to dye it or something." Naruto complained loudly as he sat back down and put his chin on his crossed arms once again.

"What'd you do with the money?" Lee asked, making conversation with Naruto, which had Naruto smiling again.

"Well, if he's gonna give me money to stay out of his sexual life I might as well spend it, right? I still have it right now, but I think I'm going to go to the arcade later. Pwn some noobs at DDR or something. Maybe I'll see that new movie, I've always liked giant robots." He replied, smiling at the thought of going out later. He had a lot of time to waste, though, so he'd come here first. He could only do so much with twenty dollars, even if he stretched it.

"I've always liked ninja and samurai movies more, myself. But I heard that's a pretty awesome movie. A lot of explosions." Lee commented, and Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, non-stop action would be amazing, lots of explosions sounds pretty good right now. But I'm not supposed to come back to the house until curfew, unless I want to walk in on something." The blonde scrunched his face in disgust to show how keen he was to the idea of going home to that.

"And for once I feel privileged to live on my own. That's got to be disturbing, have you ever really walked in on them?" Lee asked, and Naruto shook his head.

"Luckily, the most I've had to deal with was the one time he came over unexpectedly and I could hear them in the next room over. I had to bust out the old headphones and try to drown them out. Though, I ended up putting the pillow over my head, just in case." Naruto chuckled a bit after making a few gag faces.

"What if he ends up moving in, Naruto?" Lee questioned, knowing his friend wouldn't want to see his foster father and the guy he'd probably have to learn from some day groping each other. Naruto shook his head once again, giving a warm smile.

"Naw, Iruka promised that he'd wait until I move out. But only because I agreed to take a dorm at the local college freshman year. Any longer and he'd probably move out himself!" He chuckled, and Lee smiled with him. Naruto was lucky to have found such a caring home. Even if it was just the two of them, Naruto had a family. He deserved it, Lee thought, after all the harsh years he'd spent at the orphanage.

"So you're going to that college for sure?" Lee inquired, still not able to decide where he wanted to go.

"Yeah, it'll be easy to get into and all that. Though I hope that I don't get stuck in one of his classes, that'd be awkward." Naruto shivered at the thought. "It'd be twice as weird because they'd be living together by that time."

Gaara continued to stay out of the small talk, not paying much mind to what they were saying. What interested him was how they said it, how they looked when they listened to each other, and their reactions to one another's words. So this was friendship, this is what Lee wanted from him? He doubted he could talk so easily with anyone, ever. And it's not like they were being rude and excluding him. They talked easily, both half facing him, ready to listen just in case he decided to interject. They gave him a glance or two, but he never said a word, just continued to observe absentmindedly. It was better than speaking himself, and it was better than being alone in that hospital room, he decided.

"You know, now that I think about it…" Naruto started suddenly, "Gaara hasn't said a word to me during any of my visits here. No 'hello's or 'goodbye's, nothing! He hasn't talked any of the times I've been here. You'd tell me if he'd taken a vow of silence, wouldn't you, Lee?" The hyperactive teen's face turned from Lee to Gaara, and then back to Lee again. He had the habit of moving his head around like an excited puppy.

"Yeah, I guess I'd tell you if he did. But he hasn't." Lee answered, but it got him thinking. Gaara really hadn't talked in front of Naruto, or the doctor, for that matter. Gaara didn't talk without good reason, didn't answer questions most of the time, never really greeted people. So, why had he talked with Lee? Gaara was realizing the same thing, that he didn't say much to anyone, but he'd been very out of character in front of Lee, as of late. Why he talked to Lee, why he answered him, he didn't know. Lee couldn't figure it out either, and they both gave each other a questioning look.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you two were hiding something from me." Naruto looked at both of them suspiciously. Lee quickly waved his hands in front of him, dismissing Naruto's questioning glance.

"No, what would we be hiding?" Lee asked, now a little nervous, though he didn't know why. All this not knowing was making him rather confused.

"I don't really know, I've never really been much of a detective. You two just seem suspicious." Naruto leaned towards Lee a bit, "Especially you, Lee." Naruto was doing his best to keep a straight face, but it was hard. Lee was so easy to mess with, Naruto tried to take advantage of this as much as possible.

"But you know Gaara usually doesn't talk at all, how is it suspicious all of the sudden?" Lee rebutted, his face flushing a bit with uncertainty. Gaara looked at him, now he knew Lee was easily flustered.

"Well, you're obviously communicating with Gaara, yet he's not talking. Maybe…" Naruto paused, they both continued to look at him, Gaara now a bit more interested. "You're communicating telepathically!" Naruto exclaimed, which had Lee holding back his laughter and Gaara shaking his head a bit, almost smiling. The idea was so out there, but something that should have been expected from Naruto. The blonde faked a pout before laughing out loud, which invited Lee to laugh with him. Even Naruto didn't really believe they had telepathy. Only super heroes had that, he knew that for a fact. Unless Lee was a super hero and Gaara was a villain… He dismissed the idea, on account of Gaara's being in the hospital. Villains didn't go to hospitals; they had secret labs and such.

"If I had telepathy I think I wouldn't have to struggle so much to do well in school." Lee finally said once he'd gotten control of his laughter. Naruto nodded at this.

"Yeah, reading minds would be cool. You know what else would be cool?" He paused for a second before answering his own question, "Telekinesis." Lee gave him a nod of affirmation.

"But if I could have any super power I'd want super speed." Lee commented, glad to have changed the subject.

"You already have that one, Lee." Naruto answered, rolling his eyes a bit at Lee. "I'd want lasers, or flight, maybe invisibility. All of those combined would be sweet."

"Say if you could only choose one, though. Which one would you pick?" Lee asked, glancing over at Gaara, to make sure he didn't feel left out of the conversation. Naruto paused, thinking, his hand resting on his chin.

"Ah, well, I think I'd want to fly above all else, but lasers are really cool…" Naruto closed his eyes and pondered the question a bit. Suddenly, he bolted up in his chair, almost toppling over. "Hey!" He shouted at Lee. "You're avoiding the subject! I was talking about Gaara not talking and now you've tricked me into this conversation! Are you two really conspiring against me or something?" Naruto finally got back to the subject they'd been discussing before, now even more disbelieving.

Lee shook his head violently. "No, no, no, it's nothing like that, I just didn't see the point in continuing that conversation." Lee offered, a hesitant smile gracing his features. Naruto just huffed a little, not convinced.

"Well, I don't see a point in ending it." Naruto replied, frowning a bit at Lee. Which caused Lee to laugh nervously a bit, since he had no idea what he could say to get Naruto to stop bothering him about that.

But it wasn't something Lee could say, Gaara knew. "Naruto," Gaara said quietly, both Naruto and Lee looking at him instantly. "Stop bothering Lee." Gaara finished, looking at Naruto menacingly, but the boy didn't seem to notice. There was a look of astonishment on his face, which turned into one of his smiles.

"Wow Gaara, I rarely hear you talk, I'd forgotten how nice your voice sounds." Naruto replied to being scolded after a few moments. Gaara gave him a look of disbelief, then turned his disbelief to Lee. From his face they could tell he didn't consider his voice appealing at all.

"He is right, Gaara. You really do have a melodic voice." Lee answered to Gaara's doubt. This just caused Gaara to put his hand to his throat, as if he could feel what they were talking about. All he felt was himself swallowing.

"I bet you he'd be really good at singing." Naruto smiled mischievously at Gaara, which made the red head sorry he'd ever opened his mouth in the first place. "But if it's this hard to get him to talk I can't imagine how anyone could get him to sing." Naruto referred to Gaara as if he wasn't there, but Gaara didn't mind. Since he was only partly there to begin with. Gaara didn't want to speak anymore, he'd gotten Naruto off of Lee, but Naruto now focused his attention on him. Gaara didn't like attention, especially the incessant questioning of a certain annoying blonde.

"That's enough, Naruto. You question him anymore and I don't think he'll ever say another word in front of you again." Lee warned Naruto after looking at Gaara. The other teen was still holding his hand to his throat and looking off into the distance with a bewildered look, Lee could tell he was uncomfortable with this conversation for some reason. Naruto sighed in defeat, pouting and resting his chin on his folded arms once again.

"Fine, but I was just tying to give him a compliment." Naruto said exasperatedly. After a moment he looked up at Lee, "Hey, what time is it?" Lee looked towards the hanging clock in the center of the wall behind Naruto.

"It is almost three o'clock." Lee replied after giving the clock a good look. Time moved by faster when he wasn't alone. This morning had passed by so slowly for him it had almost been painful and now it was nearing the late afternoon.

"Well, then I guess I've wasted enough time here. I'll let you two get back to doing whatever it is that you do when I'm not here." Naruto said as he got up and pushed the chair back against the wall.

"Ah, okay. See you later then, Naruto." Lee responded, smiling. Naruto retuned the smile before he left and went out the room's door.

"I think he didn't like that we were both against him." Lee commented once Naruto had left. Gaara just gazed at the door for a second, surprised at how suddenly he left. But that's how Naruto always was; he came in quickly and left the same way.

They sat in silence, both thinking of different things at their own pace. Lee thought about how Naruto had pointed out that Gaara never talked to anyone. Lee knew this before, but Gaara had been answering him, responding to him this entire time. Maybe he was just humoring Lee, for his own amusement. But Lee didn't want to think it was that, he'd like to believe it was because Gaara actually saw him worth talking to. That maybe Gaara could actually do a little more than tolerate him, maybe like him. One day, Lee thought, he'd like this to be the case, but it was too early to hope for that much.

The things Gaara thought about were relatively of the same nature. He did talk to Lee, he hadn't notice how much as it happened, but it had never seemed wrong. It had almost even seemed right. But it couldn't have felt right, not at all. Gaara didn't care any more for Lee than he cared for anyone else. If no one cared for him, he would care for no one. Love no one but himself, because he was the one person who could love him. He had no room in his rather small heart to love anyone else; he needed all of his love for himself, because he was the only provider of that love. Lee was nice, and Lee had muttered that phrase implying love before, but it was all because he was Lee. Not because Gaara was cared for in particular. Lee was Lee, and his care was meaningless because it had no base, no grounds. Lee could proclaim his love to anyone right now and it'd always be meaningless, because it was generic and for everyone. No one loved Gaara, just Gaara, for who he was and all that he could be. People loved his money, people loved his looks, but no one loved him. Lee wasn't a liar, but just idealistic, showing idealistic love towards the world and everything in it. It wasn't the type of love Gaara could accept, not the kind of care and kindness that he wanted.

So why did he talk with Lee? Because he had nothing better to do, or for a different reason? If he was simply bored he didn't need to talk, he had never done that before. There were plenty of things to do besides talking when one is bored, and Gaara had always done those before. It might have been because Lee talked to him, and in this enclosed environment, where at times they felt closed off from the world, Gaara had to respond. There was a rather large window, since they were in a nice hospital room, but it really did feel like they were all alone together sometimes. Like they'd been cut off from the world, but not in a bad sort of way. Gaara was glad Lee didn't watch the television, it would have ruined all of this time they had. All this time they had to think, to sit, to talk without so many worldly interruptions. Maybe Gaara talked to Lee because he saw no reason not to. He should have been dead, and now he didn't feel like associating with the world, but if Lee asked him, like an apparition, he'd answer promptly and quietly. When it was just Lee, who oozed of kindness and caring, just Lee and himself, he didn't feel as threatened when talking. He'd kept to himself before, always, but was that because of his feeling threatened? Lee would always respond with his certain brand of kindness and acceptance, the responses most often predictable, sometimes word for word. He talked with Lee because it was easier than not talking with him, Gaara decided.

Gaara turned to look at Lee, only to see he was gone. Gaara wrinkled his non-existent eyebrows at this, but let his face slacken once more when he saw that the bathroom door was closed and obviously occupied. He thought it was a bit odd, but only because Lee would usually say something before he even moved to make sure Gaara was okay with it. He came out of the bathroom after a few more seconds, now changed into a pair of white and green sweat pants that had a few odd looking stains in various places. Lee hadn't even bothered with the sweatshirt; it was so stained he wouldn't have been comfortable wearing it at all. He could stand wearing the pants, though, since all the stains had faded and weren't as large as the ones left on the shirt.

"I hope you don't mind, I was eager to do some exercises so I changed..." Lee said to Gaara, giving him a small, nervous grin.

"What happened to the shirt?" Gaara asked, not believing that he needed to reply to Lee's statement. What would Lee do if he did mind? Not exercise? Gaara wasn't one to care what others did, not one to order someone to stop doing something just because he wanted them to.

"Oh," Lee started, turning around to shuffle through some things before pulling out the soiled shirt. "I don't think I could wear it anymore, but the pants look all right, don't they?" Lee asked, looking down at his pants, comparing their light discoloring to the still red stains on the shirt. Gaara then realized what had happened to both the shirt and pants. Lee had used his training clothes to stop the bleeding that night. Gaara looked from his injured arm to the shirt, feeling a bit awkward knowing all that blood had once been inside of him. Lee was still self consciously looking at his pants, which looked untouched compared to the shirt.

"Fine." Gaara responded, but Lee had apparently forgotten the question. "The pants look fine." Lee gave him a look of recognition, before smiling again. He put the shirt back in the dirty clothes hamper, hoping that a second time through the wash might help. He grabbed a small hand towel before coming back into the room from the bathroom. Gaara stared at him a bit, not understanding once again why all this had happened, why Lee had saved him. But it was something that had already happened, he'd have to get used to it.

Remembering he was indeed not wearing a shirt, Lee cleared his throat nervously. "Ah, is it okay if I work without a shirt on? I could put one on…" Lee asked about everything, made sure it was all right with Gaara. Why did he do this? Gaara wouldn't know, but he cut him off before he could ask any more questions.

"It's fine." Gaara replied, emphasizing the 'fine' so Lee wouldn't ask again. Lee nodded before setting the towel on the foot of his bed. He proceeded to get down on all fours, just away enough from his bed so that Gaara could clearly see him. He was in position to do push ups, starting with both hands and both feet. He started, moving quickly and swiftly, only quickening the pace as he went, counting out loud to himself.

Gaara was a bit in awe, knowing he was the type of person who could barely do a push up. He couldn't help but watch as Lee continued to show his physical prowess, his muscles working tirelessly, it seemed. Gaara could hear him muttering numbers over a hundred after a few sort moments, and he hadn't even broken a sweat yet. There was a reason Lee was so popular, and this was it. The way he moved, anyone could tell that he'd done this over a million times, probably most literally. This is why, despite his rather large eyebrows and long eyelashes, he had his own band of admirers. Lee himself never acknowledged this, and in his mind he had no admirers, wasn't very popular, and couldn't charm people with just his smile. Reality said otherwise, but Gaara had to admit that he didn't accept the reality of things most of the time, either.

Lee looked up for a moment, to catch Gaara's eyes looking down at him. This is when Lee turned a little red and started to sweat. Even though it looked as if it were from the effort it was more likely because he was now suddenly very aware of those eyes watching him. Lee continued, though, his counting the only sound in the room other than the buzzes and whirls of the various machines. Gaara now focused on Lee's exposed back, the muscles that moved there working perfectly. He looked at the mostly white pants, which clung to his legs in certain places effortlessly. His legs were obviously as toned as the rest of him, maybe even more so, considering how much more he probably used them. Lee's body was much more appealing than his own, Gaara thought. Though he knew Lee's fan based was probably much smaller. Lee was also much nicer, more approachable than himself. Lee was more likable than himself, more of a companion. Yet he was alone, in that sense, just as alone as Gaara, both had never dated. Being as old as they were, it was quite odd, as good looking as they were. Gaara knew why he didn't want a love life, and could guess why Lee didn't want one. Lee was sociable, but he was self-reliant. And from what Gaara had learned over the past couple of days, he'd always been that way.

Once Lee had completed five hundred push-ups he stopped to wipe the sweat off of him, which wasn't much, considering he'd just done that many push-ups. Gaara thought he was finished, he'd done a lot more push-ups than any normal person could ever think of doing. More than most athletes did, probably. But after he'd wiped himself off he got into position once again, this time only using one hand. All Gaara could do was watch, once again, as the ebony haired male proceeded to do push-ups at the same pace as before with just his own hand. After some odd number, Gaara couldn't quite hear where Lee was, Gaara saw Lee tuck one foot behind the other, now balancing upon one hand and one foot, as he continued to do his exercises.

The only way he could top that would be if he… Then, to Gaara's amazement he did just what Gaara had been thinking. He'd gone into the hundreds again a while ago, and now he shifted his whole position as he started to push himself off the ground with nothing but his right hand. Gaara was no longer thinking, no longer able to find the will or reason to think of anything other than what was before him. Gaara could see Lee's whole body work with effort as he continued his workout. Amazement wasn't an over exaggeration, Gaara really was amazed. He'd heard of people doing this sort of exercise before, but had never seen someone do it, in real life or otherwise.

The way Lee's body moved, with the graceful tremors of physical labor coursing throughout his entire body, was incredible. His toes curled with the effort, his chest taught with the labor of supporting him and breathing, his lungs having to work hard to keep him up, but inhaled and exhaled at a fixed rate. Sweat came forth from his pores, coating him in a light sheen. His face was red with effort, his look fixed and determined as he continued to mouth numbers. He switched arms with one graceful movement, making sure to work the second arm just as much as he had the first. Gaara looked on at his, feeling awe and a bit of something else, something he couldn't quite name. He'd never felt it before, a kind of glow in the pit of his stomach. Or maybe that was a feeling that came with awe, he'd never been in awe of someone or something before, so he wouldn't know.

Then it hit him, like a semi speeding down a highway only to end up running into a thick wall of concrete, exploding into a thousand pieces in a rather large flame of glory. This appreciation, this amazement, and this sudden want for skin to skin contact, was _lust_. It went unbeknownst to him before, that certain feeling. He had thought for the longest time he didn't posses any of those kinds of feelings. But it was simple lust, something his mind couldn't control, something his teenage hormones caused. At least he now knew why he'd never been interested in women before. And he now knew that he actually had hormones, since they could make him feel this. He had thought for a long while that he had a hormone dysfunction, since he hadn't grown very tall, and didn't have much body hair. Maybe this meant he wasn't done growing yet, he could possibly get taller.

Lee was now sweating quite a bit, but he kept going, if anything he had a burst or energy now that he was approaching the end. He said the final number, which Gaara couldn't quiet make out, but discerned it to be a rather high number. Then, Lee collapsed in completion, a smile of accomplishment spread across his features. He didn't move for a few, long moments, and Gaara wondered for a second if he'd exhausted himself.

"Are you all right?" Gaara asked after a bit, since Lee's face was turned away from him. Lee just turned to face him, the look of pure ecstasy now visible to Gaara, but he didn't reply since he was too busy trying to catch his breath. From the look on Lee's face, had Gaara not known better, he would have said it looked like he'd just had sex. To Lee, training was the closest he got to any sort of intercourse, it's what he did to feel relief, feel complete. And since he hadn't done any sort of training for days he was so happy to finally work his muscles that he wanted to continue until he passed out. But he didn't, he only did that when there was no one there to worry about him, and every so often in front of Mr. Gai.

Lee slowly got up, grabbed the towel and wiped himself off, happy to rid himself of the sweat that covered him. He was still aware of Gaara watching his every move, and was more self-conscious because of it. Why Gaara was watching him so closely, he did not know, but he decided to not let it make him too uncomfortable.

"I am going to wash off and change now, Gaara." Lee said, moving towards the cabinet where he was keeping his school bag. He had shoved all of the clothes Naruto had brought here for him in there. Gaara nodded to him, now staring at where he had been before and not directly at him. Lee took his bag and went into the bathroom, quickly stripping himself of his sweat soaked pants and boxer shorts. He put them into the laundry basket, and moved over to the shower. He didn't even hesitate as he put the shower on its coldest setting. He did not want to have to deal with another 'incident'. He'd rather shiver and let his lips turn blue with the cold. He stayed in the shower only long enough to rinse of the sticky sweat that covered him. Once he stepped out of the shower and dried himself off he moved towards his school bag. Pulling out a pair of pants from deep within the bag something fell from the bag and onto the floor. Lee, tucking his towel into place around his hips, bent down to retrieve the package. Oddly shaped, badly wrapped in red paper, he recognized the gift he'd bought to give to Gaara.

Who hadn't moved since Lee had left the room, he was still staring into blank space, with a blank look upon his face. Now that Lee had left the room the feeling was gone and he could finally think coherently again. It had been a bit odd, and he could barely believe now that it was over and done that it had actually happened. Thinking about it logically, being attracted to Lee like that wasn't too preposterous, but it was the fact that he could feel that way towards anyone that made him uncomfortable. It had to be forgotten, he could act like it had never happened. What was he talking about? Nothing had happened. Exactly.

At that moment Lee came rushing out of the bathroom in nothing but the towel that clung loosely about his waist, daring to fall to the floor. He was holding something in his right hand, nervously scratching the back of his head with the left, smiling and blushing like a squeamish schoolgirl. He looked as though he was going to say something, but Gaara cut him off before he could do so.

"Clothes, Lee." Gaara's simple statement had Lee a whole new shade of red as he swiftly returned to the bathroom. Lee quickly threw on the jeans he'd grabbed earlier, along with boxers and a plain green t-shirt. He came into the room much more composed this time, this time fully dressed. He put his backpack away, but still held the small package in his hand. Gaara could now see it was something crudely wrapped in what was most likely some kind of red construction paper.

"Ah, I know you are not one to celebrate your birth, but I had not known that before and well…" Lee looked over at Gaara, slowly walking towards his bed with an awkward smile on his features. "I got you this." Lee was crimson once again as he looked away from Gaara and thrust his arm towards the boy, holding the package out on his palm. Gaara finally got that he was supposed to take the object now, and picked it up carefully from Lee's extended arm and transferred it over to his lap.

"It is sort of silly; I got it because it sort of reminded me of you. It is kind of girly, and I will understand if you do not care for it at all…" Lee tried to explain, still not looking at Gaara's face, unable to, afraid of the rejection.

It is a present, Gaara thought, a birthday gift. He'd never received one before, or any sort of gift for that matter. He'd gotten valentines the past couple of years, but they were all bland and thoughtless ploys to win his nonexistent affections. Never a gift, especially not a gift for his birthday. Lee didn't look at him for the longest time, but once he'd got the nerve to, Lee looked at him a bit expectantly. Gaara knew he was supposed to open the present now, or maybe he was supposed to have already opened it, while Lee was looking away. He moved his fingers lightly over the paper anyway, now knowing it to be construction paper.

"Sorry, I couldn't afford wrapping paper." Lee admitted, embarrassed. Gaara hadn't minded that, he was just hesitant to open the gift. Was he supposed to tear at it until what had been hidden was exposed for him to see? Or carefully find the place where tape held it together and take it apart piece by piece? With Lee waiting for him, he decided on a mix of both, and carefully tore at the place where the paper was connected, ripping the paper a bit to reveal what had been given to him.

A small keychain, soft and stuffed with cotton, most likely. In the shape of a tiny raccoon, with dark rings around its eyes, which were beads. A heart was sewn onto its forehead, small and a bit misshapen. There was a word, not adorable, but a synonym…

Cute.

It was very cute. He'd never told anyone, ever, but Gaara had always had a sort of fixation for raccoons. Had Lee said it reminded him of Gaara? Gaara took another look though, and didn't need to ask. The dark circles around its eyes and the heart on its forehead, since the lettering on his forehead did mean 'love'. It was sort of girlish, as Lee had said, but not so much feminine as boyish, a child's toy.

A very nice first gift, and to think, had he not survived a few days ago he would have never known someone would want to give him this sort of thing. Lee was too poor for something more extravagant, and had been smart enough not to give him a cliché gift, such as baked goods or chocolate. Gaara lifted it up off his lap, to see it dangle from its chain for a moment. It wasn't cheaply made, but it wasn't high quality materials, either. It was just right. A perfect gift. Gaara wondered how he could have given him such a perfect gift, luck or something more?

"Thank you." It was all Gaara could say, since Lee had started to look defeated for a moment. Lee's face brightened again at this, he had half expected Gaara to scoff at him and toss the present away. But he hadn't, and was now looking at Lee, who was happy to see that Gaara was holding the gift with such care.

"So, do you like it?" Lee asked shyly. Gaara nodded, still not able to comprehend what all of this meant. What should have been normal was all so strange for him. Gaara couldn't let the gift mean too much to him, because it didn't mean as much to Lee. But the way he sighed with relief when he saw Gaara nod, the way he smiled… It was Lee, but it wasn't the Lee who was everyone's Lee. This Lee was a bit different, Gaara couldn't say why or how, but Lee did something differently around him. He finally noticed it; the way Lee behaved towards him was different. Maybe … his kindness, his caring, was different, also. Not just for everyone. Maybe, there was something here, something just for Gaara. He held the small plush like a lifeline, now at a loss of actions. What was he supposed to do with it now? And what was he to do with the paper in his lap?

As if reading his mind or maybe Lee was just getting better at reading his face, and knowing what to do, Lee moved towards Gaara, picking the paper up carefully, only to crush it in his fist. "I'll get that for you." Lee said, the words reaching Gaara's ears a bit late. Lee then turned towards a small white trash can, but didn't move towards it. From where he was standing he shot the wad of paper at the can like a small basket ball, it hit the side, but toppled in. Lee smiled triumphantly, bringing his fist up in a sort of victory pose. "Score!" He exclaimed excitedly, much like a little boy would. Gaara saw Lee's childishness now, and even though Lee was technically an adult he was still very youthful. Had Gaara said this aloud Lee would have been to glad to hear it, always one to talk about the greatness of youth, in honor of his beloved coach. Maybe having to grow up so fast, go through his hardships had made Lee more childish whenever he could afford to be so. Gaara was almost happy to say that Lee felt comfortable enough around him to act like this. Glad that Lee had been comfortable with giving him this bit of childishness, what he now held in his hand. It could be a childhood he never had, a happiness he'd never been able to capture. Lee embodied all this, in the instant that he turned towards Gaara with that grin upon his lips. Here was happiness, maybe happiness that Gaara could obtain. Maybe Lee did care… Gaara squeezed his lifeline. Maybe Lee did care…

The doctor came into the room, Lee's smile fading as he sat down on his bed. The doctor's face was a bit grave, but maybe that was because they had just lost a patient down the hall, one that had just been rushed there in the Saturday night hustle and bustle. Maybe it was grave because he'd just finished telling the family of the said patient of their tragic fate. But Gaara believed it was because of the news he carried with him. Gaara knew it had his own look very grave indeed.

"Your siblings will be coming to see you tomorrow morning. I recommend getting some sleep before then." The doctor left right after that, having done what he needed to. He had other things to do, lives to try and save. He had a game of God to play. Tonight he was loosing.

They were brought their dinner, sitting in somber silence. Lee didn't bother talking, since he could tell by Gaara's face he wouldn't get a response. He'd have to wait until the visit happened to get some answers. Gaara didn't eat any more or any less than usual; Lee politely finished what he couldn't for him. Lee politely bid him good night. Lee slept, while Gaara stayed awake, holding his lifeline in his left hand the entire time, dreading the daylight, savoring the darkness. In mere hours his siblings would be here. It'd be the first time they had talked to each other in years, and he knew it. There would be conversation, and that's what scared him the most. He held onto his lifeline. Maybe Lee cared…

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

Gawd, all I can say is that I'm sorry. Sorry this took so long and sorry that I'm so horrible at writing, I've messed everything up, gawd... Okay, there's no excuse for my horrid writing, and no excuse for me getting this out so late. But I just aquired a job, a driving permit, and school starts very soon. And I still have a book project that needs to get done. So, I knw I shouldn't be making excuses, but there they are. I am very sorry. Dissapointment is expected.


	5. Part 5

Chapter 5

It had become a sort of mantra, the question that would one day lead to a statement. Or it might not lead to anything, but it was still whispered by the wind in the back of his mind. 'Maybe Lee cared…' there was a blank at the end, because it was open ended, left unfinished. The whole statement was probably something along the lines of 'Maybe Lee really cares, maybe he does not.' The first part was more hopeful, more uplifting. And for once Gaara let himself dwell on the hope, just a little bit. He knew if he was shot down now he'd be worse than before, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to, but for once in his life there was something there, persistently trying to get his hopes up. He needed every bit of reassurance he could find, because any minute now _they_ would be walking through that door.

"Gaara, I know you do not really want to see them, but glaring at the door will not stop them from coming in." Lee said softly, a little intimidated by Gaara's harsh stare, even though it wasn't directed at him.

"I realize." Gaara replied, his voice at its iciest. He had no idea why they were coming to see him. They have never cared about his health, about him in general. Both of them had lives of their own, not to be bothered by his existence. In the past seventeen years neither of them had cared for him, tended to him, or even shared a conversation with him. They had maids to look after him, people to take the place of a family. But he'd been such a hard child to deal with; his caretakers had never lasted very long. He remembered when his uncle had been the one who was supposed to care for him. At that time his own uncle had almost killed him, as a small child of about five years. His uncle had charmed him with his soft smiles and calming voice. Had he not been caught in the act, though, his uncle would have succeeded in killing him. Gaara had not cried out at the time, but for some reason a maid had appeared at the door, saving him. He was supposed to have died then, maybe that's what made life so hard to deal with. Knowing that he wasn't supposed to be here, it made understanding it all the more impossible.

A few moments later there were audible steps coming towards their room from the hall, the click of heels and the shuffling of men's shoes. There was a small warning knock on the door before the doctor opened it and let the two siblings in. Gaara took in the sight, his siblings looked different than he remember, though, he saw them so little that it was quite understandable. The eldest, Temari, his sister, stood as tall as Lee with her heels, and even without them, she was the tallest of the three siblings. Her hair was down at the moment, and she had little to no make up on, her eyes a deep blue-green. She wore a light purple elbow length jacket over a v-neck beige shirt, with a matching mid-thigh length skirt and black heels. It was an understatement to say she was stunning, of course, but all three of the siblings were rather attractive. A good mix of genes, their father had once said. Coming in behind Temari was his elder brother, Kankuro, always looking a little bland in comparison to Temari and Gaara. He was average in height, with messy brown hair, and insanely dark eyes. He wore a button up black shirt and black slacks; Gaara wondered where their jackets were, since it still looked rather cold outside.

"I'll leave you four to your own devices, then." The doctor said before he left the room, closing the door behind himself. Lee was also studying the two, thinking to himself they didn't look like bad people. But of course, most bad people didn't look anything like they acted. An image of a middle-aged woman in a red suit came to mind, and he shivered at the thought of the woman who owned the orphanage.

"So, you must be Lee." The blonde woman said, he knew her name to be Temari from various media sources. She smiled kindly enough at him as she offered him her hand, which he stood up to shake.

"Yes, I am, Miss Temari." Lee muttered nervously as he shook her hand. She hadn't even greeted her brother or asked how he was. But he couldn't argue with them, they were local celebrities paying for his stay here. Kankuro offered his hand without saying anything; Lee shook it politely, giving them an uneasy smile. Lee wasn't able to look over at Gaara immediately, feeling as though he betrayed him somehow by greeting his siblings. He heard Temari let out a hefty sigh, though, and Kankuro shift his weight uneasily. They both looked to their younger sibling, and Gaara looked to them.

"Lee, would you mind leaving the room for a bit? We promise we won't let anything happen to Gaara." Temari said quietly, solemnly. Lee looked to Gaara, who didn't seem to object, and then he nodded.

"Okay, I'll wait right outside, Miss Temari. Please notify me when you are done." Lee replied, giving Gaara one last smile, hoping to help reassure him. Gaara watched as Lee left the room and shut the door. It was the first time he'd left that room since they'd arrived. His gaze was only moved when he heard his sister's voice.

"Gaara…" Temari started, but didn't know how to continue the statement. Gaara could see something in her expression, it resembled remorse. But how could she be feeling an emotion like that while looking at him? He saw the same emotion reflected in Kankuro's eyes, but what did it mean?

"Gaara, we've come to," Kankuro paused, like the words were going to detonate if he said them too quickly, "Apologize."

"For what?" Gaara replied instantly, without having to think. They were apologizing? It took everything he had not to scoff and turn away. But he continued to look at them, because he might as well hear them out. Temari's expression turned to one of agitated sadness as she all but glared at him.

"You know very well what we're apologizing for." Temari was still beautiful, even as tears threatened to take form in her eyes; her voice was still easy on the ears, even as it was forced out of her throat. She looked to the ground, not able to face her brother as she continued to speak. "I've been a horrible big sister to you."

"I'm guilty of it too, Gaara. I've never treated you like a brother…" Kankuro was staring off past his shoulder, trying but not able to look him in the face as he said it.

"…Why now?" Gaara replied quietly. Why were they suddenly asking for his forgiveness? He'd just gotten used to the idea of not having to deal with them anymore. In a year he'd be free of them, and now they decide they want to be there for him? No, they were lying, to make him feel better. But why would they want him to feel better? Couldn't have their brother committing suicide now, could they? Didn't want to be told how they had neglected him by having to attend his funeral service? Whatever they said, it was a lie. Because it couldn't be true. No one cared for him… no one cared for him, right? He absentmindedly pressed his fingers against the key chain Lee had given him which was hidden next to his leg under the sheet like blanket of the hospital bed. Maybe someone did care, but it wasn't his siblings. He didn't want their affection. What if all of this was just to stop him from trying to kill himself? Even Lee… But Lee had bought him the gift before all of this, and had admitted to wanting to know him before this. His siblings, on the other hand, were doing this for their benefit, they had to be…

He lost his resolve when he saw the tears in his sister's eyes. There they were, they could've been faked, but for some reason, he knew they weren't. She was finally looking at him, and he hadn't noticed until just now. She blinked, and the tears escaped, sliding down her face in a languid motion of actual sadness. Regret. He could see it in both of them.

"When," Temari started, pausing to repress a sob like sound, "When we heard about it, about this… When I was contacted as your 'Guardian'… It hit me, hit us. We know why you're really here, Gaara, and we blame no one but ourselves." Temari kept having to pause, not wanting to choke on her own words, or give into sobbing.

"We thought you were nothing but a hindrance, Gaara, I'll be the first to admit. You wouldn't remember her, but we do. And for the longest time we only thought of you as the object that lead to her destruction. Then we became numb to your presence, and finally we just lived our lives as if you didn't exist." Kankuro said all of this, as if admitting it would make it at least a little easier to understand. "It was a mistake, treating you like that. All those years, when you needed us most, I'm sorry. I made a mistake; I should've treated you like a brother, not a monster. You're not a monster Gaara, you're my brother. It's taken me too long to realize that, and to think that this is what made me realize it… Only when you were almost taken away did I realize that's not what I wanted." Kankuro was choked up himself, but couldn't cry openly like Temari. He didn't feel like enough of a man to let himself cry.

Gaara was not able to get over the shock of hearing his brother say those words to him, much less his brother meaning those words… He meant them, if nothing else; his siblings never lied to him. They had rarely ever spoken to him, but neither of them had cared enough about him to lie to him, even if it was for his own benefit. They weren't the type to do things without a reason, and they always meant what they said. Kankuro's words stung and healed at the same time, being both true and remorseful. But before he could examine what he had said any further, Temari finally found her voice again.

"It's the same with me, Gaara. I was wrong, to treat you like that. I've been selfish, living like I had no responsibilities. But I do, I should have been obligated to take care of you. When they called for your guardian at first I rolled my eyes and thought they were calling me to tell me how you'd acted up again. But when they told me you were in the hospital in critical condition something snapped inside of me. Gaara… I'm so sorry." She finished, tears flowing freely once again. Silent tears, because she was still too strong to sob, to make those girly sounds of anguish.

'Then why did it take you so long to come here to see me?' Gaara wanted to ask, but he didn't. Because he knew why they'd taken their time. He knew that they didn't expect him to listen to them until he had a few days to himself; they probably still expected him to reject their apologies. They had to work up the nerve to talk to him, after all these years.

"There's more, Gaara…" Kankuro continued, still sounding somber. "We didn't want to tell you right away, maybe not until you turned eighteen…" Kankuro paused, shifting his weight nervously once again.

"We never thought they're be a good time to tell you until then, because, well…" Temari took over talking, but wasn't much better at getting it out. Her tears had stopped, but she still had sadness staining her voice. "Father cared for you, even if it never seemed like it…" They were both not telling him something, and he was wondering what could possess them to say that their father even remotely liked him. He knew his father hated him, even if he rebuilt his relationship with his siblings, he could never accept his father, even if he was dead.

"Our father hated me, there is nothing to prove otherwise." Gaara stated, but it didn't shock either of his siblings in the least that he had said this.

"We all know how cruel he was to you Gaara, but there is something that proves he must have cared for you, at least somewhat." Temari replied, and it sounded like she could finally keep herself together long enough to get out all the information. "In his Will, which you didn't see on account of your being underage, he's written some truly shocking things. The one that has stunned most is that, once you're eighteen, everything will go to you."

"The company, the mansion, his various shares of stocks in major companies, all of the money he had stored away, the cars, everything is yours." Kankuro elaborated, but bit his lip at the glare that Gaara was giving him.

"Why?" Gaara was too shocked to say anything else. Once more he found himself at a loss for words. That man had given him all of that? Why? He didn't want any of it…

"Basically, it said 'For my youngest son, because he has the best head on his shoulders. He'll know what to do.'" Temari answered, perplexed herself. It had confused everyone, but there's no use questioning a Will. They weren't able to tell anyone, one couldn't imagine all of the assassination attempts. They hadn't even wanted to tell Gaara, but it seemed they needed to now. Had Gaara died, there would have been a very large scandal over all of their father's possessions. At least now Gaara knew all that he was loosing if he died, even if he wasn't fond of wealth and what not.

"We don't want to loose you Gaara, and I'm not just saying this because of our father's Will." Temari blurted out, wanting to get it off of her chest. "I never loved you like a big sister should. I want to try again; I want to be your sister, not a stranger who lives with you anymore."

"And would you let me be your brother? Instead of some inconsiderate jerk you hardly know, which I know I've been up until now." Kankuro quickly added in. They really wanted to be siblings for their little brother. Sometimes it takes something drastic to get people's attention, and their focus had finally been caught. They had hardly been friendly with each other, but now they wanted a family. Even if it were just three dysfunctional siblings, they would still be a family. Not like in movies, they'd never have that relationship, but more than just people who lived in the same house.

Gaara was getting a headache from receiving all this information at once. He didn't want this, not all of it, not yet. He needed them to stop giving him things to think about, he needed time to digest all that they had said, analyze it. "Leave. I'll see you tomorrow at home." They both looked at him, downtrodden, and he didn't want them to think he was not accepting their apologies or ignoring their requests, so he quickly added, "Brother, Sister." At this they gave him shaky smiles, knowing this was all he was going to say on the subject for now. He had never called either of them by the title of 'brother' or 'sister' before. It was a relief to hear him say that.

"Thank you, Gaara." Temari said, Kankuro nodding his head once to show he meant to say the same.

Lee had stood outside the door, not listening in on the conversation, but leaning against the wall opposite of the room and patiently awaiting that door to open. He wanted to know what they were saying, how Gaara was responding, but he knew it was a family matter. Even though he'd never really had a family, he knew there were some things only families shared. He just hoped that whatever was going on in there, it was for the better. He didn't want to see Gaara's condition worsen.

Temari and Kankuro emerged from the room just as Lee had thought to begin pacing, and they almost ran into one another. Lee quickly apologized, giving them a nervous smile.

"Sorry, I did not mean to run into you like that. I was just worried, you know, so I had begun to pace, and well…" Lee started, and would have kept going, but was cut off.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Kankuro replied, knowing Lee would have apologized for quite a long while had he let him. Back when Kankuro attended the same high school as Lee, there had been one instance where he'd run into Lee, and the underclassman had apologized for the rest of the year, every time he saw him. It'd actually bothered Kankuro at the time, but he now saw that he was just the kind of person who cared too much.

"We'll be leaving now, Lee. And we hope we'll see you again soon." Temari said, putting on the best polite smile she could. She then turned to leave, Kankuro giving a small wave before following.

"Ah, okay, bye now!" Lee replied to their backs, waving even though it was pointless. He let out a long breath as they left, one he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He turned back towards the hospital room and carefully stepped in, closing the door as if he was trying to stop it from making any sound at all. When he turned to face Gaara he didn't know what to expect, so he was more than relieved to find the usual grimace upon the red head's face.

"Ah, you're all right, right?" Lee stammered, smiling nervously. He didn't know what had gone on while he was waiting, but he did know the siblings usually didn't get along so well.

"Of course." Gaara replied, his voice even, his tone uncaring. "You're the one who seems to be unnerved."

"No, uh, I was just worried." Lee replied, walking back towards his bed to sit and face Gaara.

"It was just my siblings and you were gone only a moment." Gaara stated, not able to see why Lee could have had the slightest of worries.

"It's just that… I don't know. I was worried. But I'm not now." Lee said, finishing with a winning smile, just to prove how not worried he was. He didn't quite understand it either, so how was he to explain it? He was sure he'd understand soon why he felt unease when not with Gaara, but he didn't yet. He wondered if he'd now always feel as though he should be at Gaara's side.

There was that little warning knock again before the doctor reappeared in the room. He was giving them a knowing smile, as doctors often do, that seemed to almost be a smirk. "I see the meeting went without incident. Good." He said as he approached the foot of Gaara's bed. "I have some good news for you. Or bad news, depends on how you look at things."

"Will you tell us?" Lee asked, not really sure if the doctor was just playing with them.

"Of course, I just wanted to give the news a bit of a dramatic effect, you know." The doctor paused, and after noticing their un-amused faces, went on with a sigh. "You sister, after seeing your current condition, has decided you can leave as early as we will allow. I told her you were ready to go tomorrow, and she said that was fine. But if you let me run a few more tests, I believe we will see you'll be ready to go as soon as tonight. That is, if you keep Lee here with you. Your siblings said he should be the one to escort you home."

Gaara and Lee looked once at each other, the news was unexpected, but not unpleasant. "So, shall we? The test will take an hour or so, the results another hour. And I'd like to get you two out of here before the sun goes down." Gaara nodded, and with the help of the doctor, he was up and out of the room. Lee had time to give him one last smile before he left.

Lee decided, after sitting there a moment dumbfounded, that he should probably gather their things and make sure they we ready to go. As he got their things ready his mind wandered. Would they go to school the next day? Of course they would, now that Gaara was in a stable condition. How had they decided Gaara was ready to go so soon? Did people usually recover this fast? Was Gaara really all right? Lee was glad they hadn't decided to recommend him to a psychiatric ward; it would have been much longer before they let him out if that had happened.

Everything was going to be all right now. Everything would return to normal… Or would it? The more Lee thought about it the less he wanted things to return to normal. Once he took Gaara home would that be the end of it? Would they go back to saying little to nothing to one another, living their lives as they once had before? No, Lee didn't want that. Surely they'd be friends. Right? He couldn't say, and he started to dislike the prospect of leaving the hospital. Here it was just Gaara and him; with almost no outside forces in interfere. But when they got back outside what would happen? He didn't want to think about it. So he focused on the task at hand.

He'd finish gathering their things. He'd carry Gaara's things for him, of course. They'd first go to Lee's house, so he could drop his things off there. He'd take Gaara home. Maybe he'd go to the park and run afterwards, depending on the time. Then he'd go home and go to bed. There, he'd plan one day at a time. He was sure Gaara would stay in contact with him. And even if Gaara didn't give the initiative, it was all right. Lee would try his hardest to become friends with him. Just as he had been doing this entire stay at the hospital.

Lee felt anxious as he awaited Gaara's return. He couldn't keep still so he decided to do some push up, sit ups, and whatnot until Gaara returned. There was nothing else to do, and he most definitely did not want to sit and think while he waited. He wasn't an introverted person who could contemplate things for hours. He needed action, something to do; even if it was mindless motions he'd done a million times before.

The doctor returned with Gaara to find Lee mumbling numbers to himself as he completed what had probably been a long series of crunches. He smiled and jumped up as they entered, sweaty but not tired, obviously. He'd taken his shirt off a while ago, to keep it from getting sweat stains, and now reached for it to put it on.

"So? What did the tests say?" Lee asked as he put his shirt on.

"As I said earlier, it'll be about an hour before the results come back. The official answers, anyway. There wasn't anything unusual, so I expect they'll all come back negative." The doctor replied, waiting until Lee's head popped out of his shirt to look at him.

"Negative? Isn't that bad?" Lee asked, confused.

"Not when you're testing for cancerous cells and such. I'd be worried if they came back positive." The doctor replied. Lee then noticed the sling Gaara now wore, and felt bad for not noticing it the instant he'd come into the room.

"What's the sling for?" Lee asked, while the doctor was still in the room

"So he's not tempted to use his arm. The stitches can't take too much strain. We've also wrapped bandages around his forearm, which will have to be changed daily." The doctor answered Lee, but it was obvious that he was now talking to Gaara. "Remember that you can't get the stitches wet. For now, you'll probably have to find a way to shower without getting them wet. I suggest a plastic bag of some sort. You should probably avoid using your arm as often as you can. At least, for a while. Your doctor will notify you when you can use it normally again." The doctor turned to leave. "I'll be back with the results, and we'll let you leave."

As the doctor left Lee and Gaara went to their respective beds, Lee facing Gaara. He watched as Gaara took the sling from around his neck, tilting his head side to side. Gaara didn't want to continue wearing the thing, and didn't want to even think about how he'd now be wearing it everyday for quite a while.

"So, does it bother you?" Lee asked, even though he could plainly see that Gaara didn't like wearing the sling in the slightest.

"Makes my neck stiff." Gaara answered, looking down at his bandaged arm. He couldn't rationalize anything anymore, because it wasn't making sense to him. Why was he going along with this so calmly? Because that was the only thing he could do. He had failed, yes, but had that led to something else? Maybe, he didn't know. But he decided to keep going. Because time didn't stop, and he'd have to move along with it whether he liked it or not. There was no going against the flow of time, no use in putting up resistance against the future, since it happened with each moment passing.

"You want me to help?" Lee asked, hope in his eyes. Helping Gaara to feel better was what he was all about!

"What?" Gaara asked, not understanding Lee's question at all.

"Turn towards the window, please." Lee said, now standing up and walking towards Gaara's bed. Gaara decided to humor Lee and faced the window, away from Lee. The window was just reflective enough so that Gaara could see Lee approaching him from behind.

"Tell me if I'm hurting you." Lee requested and Gaara felt more confused than before. But then he felt Lee's hands upon his shoulders, which for some reason was oddly comforting. Lee then started to move his thumbs about Gaara's shoulders, pressing just enough to relieve the tension that had built up in the muscles. It felt… very good. Just as Lee moved to press lightly against the base of his neck Gaara let out a soft sound.

"Ah, are you okay?" Lee asked, pausing and almost moving away.

"No. I mean yes. It feels," Gaara paused, "nice. Continue." Lee obeyed, of course, and continued to smooth out the kinks in Gaara's neck. Gaara had never really let anyone get this close to him yet it didn't feel as though Lee was invading his personal space. It just felt like they were sharing a space between them, one that seemed comfortable enough.

Lee moved away, lifting his hands from Gaara and placing them by his side. "Feel any better?" Lee asked, moving back towards his own bed to sit down.

"Yes." Gaara simply replied, turning about to rest against the back of the bed once again. Lee smiled at Gaara's reply, happy that he'd been successful in helping the red head. Gaara made a mental note to ask Lee for assistance if his neck ever troubled him again.

"You know, Gaara, I think-" Lee started, but was interrupted by the opening of the room's door. The nurse appeared, carrying in trays of food for them.

"The doctor said you should eat before you go, especially you." The nurse said, motioning to Gaara as she set his food down. She handed Lee his food, which he took with a smile and a thank you. She nodded her head at them, her sort of goodbye, before she left the room. They ate in silence, Lee completely occupied with his food as Gaara merely tried to amuse himself a bit with his. He wasn't a big fan of eating, but he could sure make it look like he ate more than he really did.

"What were about to say before?" Gaara asked, since Lee had seemed to want to say something before the nurse had come in. Lee finished swallowing the food in his mouth before replying.

"Actually, I can't remember." Lee said, after thinking upon it for a moment. "It probably wasn't very important, anyway." Lee smiled at his own comment before finishing his food. Gaara just sat, mixing the various hospital foods with one another. The colors they made were so fowl he was glad he'd stopped eating it right away.

"I'm glad we're leaving soon." Gaara stated, which Lee nodded to. Of course, they were both glad for entirely different reasons.

"It's kind of weird. You know, if you think too much about it, it all happened so suddenly and so fast, once we leave, it might feel weird to try and go back to the way things used to be." Lee said, but he slurred the words out, trying to hard to lighten the mood. Gaara just nodded, understanding what he meant. Which was also weird, that he had actually understood that. Lee was right; thinking about their current situation too much was very confusing.

"Things are different, now." Gaara replied, only stating the obvious. But the obvious is what escaped Lee's mental grasp most often, so he was relieved to hear these words. He'd been so worried about things going back to how they used to be…

"I got all of our things together." Lee said, for lack of a better transition into more conversation. "I'll carry your things for you, of course. But I was wondering if we could stop by my house first, since it's closer, and I can drop my things off right quick."

Gaara nodded, having nothing to add to the conversation. There was silence once again, which always made Lee uncomfortable. He had to think of more to say.

"You know, I think I'll actually miss being here." Lee finally said, Gaara dropping his spoon, which he had been using to mess with his food only moments earlier. Not from shock, really, but because he'd become bored of playing with the food.

"Why? What's there to miss?" Gaara asked, not seeing Lee's reasoning at all.

"It's just… so clean here. So secluded, no worries, no peers, and it's pretty comfortable. Plus, I finally got to spend time with you, which is important to me, even if it was spent here in the hospital." Lee said, not really thinking before he spoke, which was a given for Lee. He wasn't really the thinking type.

"I guess so," was all Gaara could really think of to reply with. "But why miss the hospital? We can spend time together anywhere." Gaara decided that Lee was rubbing off on him, since he wasn't really thinking either, just talking. "I mean, there's no point in feeling sad about leaving."

"You're right Gaara." Lee said smiling, since those words rang through his mind like tiny silver bells, chiming in a most wonderful tone. 'We can spend time anywhere.' It had such a nice ring to it. A little weird, to hear it coming from Gaara, but that made it all the more valuable. Had Lee been one to keep a diary he would have written that phrase in there word for word.

"Still. I've kind of gotten used to being here." Lee stated, not letting the subject drop.

"We've only been here a few days." Gaara retorted.

"It seems like a lot longer than that, though. Don't you think?" Lee questioned, smiling. He liked having quiet conversations with Gaara, here in the hospital room. He hoped this wouldn't be the last of them.

"Yes. I feel like I've been here for weeks." Gaara sighed. For once in his life he was ready and willing to go home. Not because he wanted to go home, but more because he didn't want to stay here. Doctors worried too much, which made him ill at ease.

Thinking of doctors, the infamous man of the hour himself appeared in the doorway. "Tah-dah." The doctor said, grinning, pulling out a manila envelope from behind his back. "The results are in. And the lucky winners are… you two! Since you'll be leaving here in the next few moments." The doctor said this obviously to be funny, but all he got were a few pity chuckles from Lee. "I can see the excitement, you can hardly contain yourselves. I know, I know, but just follow me. Grab your things, we'll be signing you out."

Lee grabbed their belongings while Gaara re adjusted the sling. He would have ignored it all together, had the doctor not given him that warning look. They then followed him out of the room, down the hall, to a rather large desk. Here the doctor looked over the papers one last time, and Lee signed himself out, since Gaara's papers had been pre-signed.

"So, you're free to go! Don't forget, you're family doctor will be coming to your house daily to check up on you. Probably right after school." The doctor turned to leave, "And with that in mind I let you leave." He continued back down the hallway. Gaara may have been the richest patient he had, but most certainly not his only one.

"So? Shall we go, then?" Lee said, his ever-present smile upon his lips. In his arms he carried all of their schoolbooks and in his backpack and gym bag he carried the rest of their belongings that had been with them.

"Yes, let us leave." Gaara stated, relieved. He actually led the way out of the doors, only to back away from the entrance due to the sunlight. He hadn't expected to be greeted by the sun so enthusiastically. Lee led the way out into the sun, Gaara happy to stand behind him and enjoy that little bit of shade. It actually wasn't too bright outside, but it took a minute for their eyes to adjust.

"Well, looks like we'll make it home before dark! That is, if we hurry." Lee said, excited. Gaara was not so excited.

"I'd rather not. I'm not in a hurry." Gaara said, following Lee as he made his way down the street.

The walked, in silence for a while, just getting used to the fact that they were actually out of the hospital. It seemed surreal now. Of course, the past always seems a bit surreal in the light of the future.

"So… You ran all this way?" Gaara asked, both of them knowing what he meant.

"Yes, I like running a lot. So it wasn't too hard. I'm kind of used to running, you know?" Lee rambled nervously, smiling. Always smiling, he was. Gaara wondered for a moment what he could do to make Lee frown. But the remembered the frown on Lee's face right before he'd lost consciousness. He knew what he'd done to make Lee frown. And for some reason, he felt like he never wanted to see that frown upon Lee's face ever again. It just didn't fit. Grimaces were his thing; they didn't suit Lee at all.

"Hey, where do you live anyway? I mean, how far away is it?" Lee asked, hoping it was farther rather than closer. He didn't want him and Gaara to part ways sooner than they had to.

"Farther away, I guess. Twenty minutes by car." Gaara replied, unsure of how long it would take to walk to there from here.

"Are you sure you'll be all right walking? We could take a bus there, or at least, part way there." Lee suggested, not wanting Gaara to become light headed or tired.

"We'll see. I'd like to walk, my legs hurt from lying down for so long." Gaara stated, noticing the change in their surroundings as the entered the slums. It was easy to tell where they were now, since the shops, the houses; the whole demeanor of the city seemed to change so suddenly.

"Ah, okay. Well, at least we're almost to my place." Lee replied. The conversation was short, but the time it had occupied had been great. Gaara tried to imagine how fast Lee must have run to get the hospital in the time he did.

They approached a rather disgusting looking tenement building that looked as though it could cave in upon itself at any moment. The way Lee smiled as they approached it Gaara knew it must have been the building he lived in.

"Home sweet home!" Lee said, which should have been a sarcastic remark, but it wasn't. The closer they got the more problems Gaara could see. Was this livable? There must have been a law against making people live in such a run down place.

"You can wait out here or come in, Gaara, I'm just going to drop my stuff off." Lee said, shifting the books to one arm as he used the other to fish for the keys in his backpack.

"I'll… come in." Gaara finally said, just as Lee had found the keys and was opening the door. He decided it was better to stay with Lee than wait outside for him.

"Okay, just don't mind the mess, though. Sorry." Lee said as he got the door open. They were greeted a smell that was rather indescribable, except maybe, that someone had died and been rotting there for a few months. There were discarded pieces of old newspapers covering the ground, and he really didn't want to know what was hidden under those papers.

"Follow me, please." Lee said, leading Gaara up a flight of stairs the creaked as if it was going to break with every step they took. Lee had obviously gotten used to this, but Gaara kept feeling like the house was going to fall down around them.

After a few more flights of rickety stairs they made it to the floor with Lee's room, having to walk down the narrowest hallway Gaara had ever been in first, though. Here Lee switched to a different key for his room and opened the half broken door. He revealed the cleanest part of the place Gaara had seen so far, but that didn't make the housing look much better. Sure it was tidy, but it wasn't really clean. Every piece of furniture looked at least somewhat broken and falling apart. The tiny refrigerator/freezer had to be the oldest model Gaara had ever seen, and the apartment itself looked like it could either collapse or have the floor break through.

"Okay, I'll just set this over here and we can go. Unless you want something to drink? I have water, nothing else though, sorry." Lee said, ready to go over to that little refrigerator to get him a drink.

"Lee…" Gaara looked around one last time, and needed no more reason to make up his mind. "You're not going to live here anymore."

"What?" Lee said, a half-bewildered smile upon his features as he turned to face Gaara.

"I said you couldn't live here anymore." Gaara had his mind made up. And as everyone should have known, he was quite stubborn once he put his mind to it.

"But, where else would I live? I mean… this is all I can afford, really, you know? And I don't know of any…" Lee started, now a bit flustered, trying to smile, but not quite completing the action.

"You will stay with me." Gaara interrupted him before he could say anything more. Lee just looked at him, so Gaara added. "Unless you don't want to. In that case, I'll give you the extra money to afford to live somewhere more… hygienically safe."

"Ah, Gaara you don't have to. And would your brother and sister be okay with that? I don't think I could trouble you all…" Lee started rambling again, now shifting his weight nervously.

"Think of it as repayment for saving my life." Lee went to protest but Gaara continued to talk, to make sure he didn't argue. "Besides, my brother and sister don't have to be okay with it. I've decided that you can live in my house, and therefore, you can."

"Isn't it all of your house, not just yours, though?" Lee asked, still skeptical and not wanting to intrude on the siblings' lives.

"No. It solely belongs to me. I'll have the deed in my hands the day I turn eighteen." Gaara replied, now glad for the fact that his father had left him all his wealth. What was the point in having wealth if he couldn't do what he wanted with it? And he wanted to house Lee. He'd buy Lee a house, if he refused to live with him. He'd buy him all the furnishings, food; pay the water and electric bills. He wasn't going to let the only person who really cared for him live like this. He admitted it, Lee cared for him. So he wasn't going to let Lee live like a pauper any longer. He deserved to live like a prince.

"…But…" Lee could think of no way to rebuttal against Gaara. He didn't want to really find an argument against Gaara, anyway. He liked doing what Gaara told him to. So would he live with him? It's not like he was leaving much behind. "Are you sure?" Was all Lee could ask, ready to give up this pathetic life of his to start a different sort of living with Gaara.

"My mind is made up, if that's what you mean. So, shall you be living with me or will we go house shopping?" Gaara asked, as he could feel his lips turning in a crooked sort of smile. If having money meant he could spend it in ways like this then maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"What? No, I'll just live with you, if you have the room, of course." Lee said nervously. "You can afford it, right? I mean, I don't want to be a hindrance."

"We have plenty of rooms, you can take your pick when we get there. And of course I can afford it. I am the sole heir to the Sabaku fortune. While we're at it, you should just leave most of your stuff here. Because I feel like treating you to an all new life, Lee."

Gaara's smirk grew with each syllable; he liked teasing Lee like this. Knowing that even though Lee had the one thing Gaara wanted most in the world, what Lee didn't have was money. And Gaara had plenty to spare.

Lee's expression was a mess of his trying to keep his nervousness hidden. "N-n-no, that's all right Gaara. I'm fine with what I have, really. It's nice enough of you to offer me a more stable roof over my head. But…" Lee was sweating under Gaara's out of character smirk.

"No, I want to give you more than that, Lee. I want to give you all that money can buy." With this, Gaara started to step closer to Lee. Lee didn't move, of course, but his nervous smile was breaking under the smaller man's intense stare.

"And in return…" Gaara was now talking in a most sinister tone, but Lee didn't move. He wanted Gaara to accept him, so in return, he had to accept Gaara. For everything that he was.

"You'll give me the one thing you and I want most from each other…" Here Lee swallowed, not sure about what he really wanted most from Gaara at the moment. The way they were standing so close to each other…

"Friendship." Gaara finished, moving his hand to tap Lee in the shoulder. In any other situation it would seem like a sort of challenge, the beginning of a fight. But here it was meant to just push Lee a bit, make him realize that Gaara was serious, that this was real.

Lee's face suddenly lit up, and he let the small push take him back a step. He looked into Gaara's eyes, to see that he was indeed serious. "Of course, Gaara! I don't need you to buy me anything for my friendship, though."

"I'm not buying your friendship. I'm buy you things because we are…" Gaara paused, not quite used to the word or the idea of it all, "friends." With that the smirk left Gaara's features and he turned to leave.

"Let's leave this place." Gaara said, but Lee rushed the other way instead.

"Just give me a moment, please. I've just got to get a couple of things." Lee half shouted from his bedroom, which he'd run off into. Gaara turned once again, and followed him to the bedroom, waiting at the doorway for him. From here he could see the shoddy bed that Lee must have slept in. He could see why Lee would have missed the hospital now. It was much nicer that this place.

Lee hurried around the room, grabbing a few things. "Should I really just leave my clothes?" Lee asked, and Gaara nodded.

"The clothes already in your bag should suffice until we have the chance to get you new ones." Lee nodded to this before he continued to grab his few precious items. They were mostly pictures and small gifts he'd received from Naruto and Mr. Gai. He safely tucked away the armful of possessions into his backpack and gym bag.

"Okay, I'm ready. Just let me write a quick note to the landlord." Lee said, grabbing a pen and paper, scribbling down his message.

_I'm leaving; my friend has offered me a place to stay. I'll leave my keys here in your mailbox. Don't worry, I didn't make any copies. Thank you for everything. Sincerely, Lee._

Lee dropped off the note and the keys on their way out, feeling a bit odd, but walking away from it anyway. The landlord would later read the note and remark at how they'd miss having a tenant who was actually on time with all of his payments.

And with that, Lee turned his back on his old life. He had something new to look forward to, something he could have never imagined before. A friendship with Gaara. And that was worth everything to him.

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

Had you given up on me yet? xD Sorry, this is unexpected, now isn't it? This chapter probably sounds funny since the first part was typed months ago! The first half, almost, has been awaiting the half I just wrote for quite awhile. I kind of rushed it... But that's because I have homework and work to do. So, I'm sorry for the wait, and I've already started the next chapter... It's going to be fun. So, I'll try and be more consistent? And don't torture me, whoever it was that threatened me. See? Here it is. hides in fear, prepares to get beat


	6. Part 6

Chapter 6

"You're sure about this, Gaara?" Lee asked for at least the fifth time. They were waiting at a bus stop they'd walked to from Lee's old house. Gaara sighed before answering this time.

"You can ask that question however many times you want to, Lee. The answer will not change. Yes, I am quite sure." Gaara looked at Lee, who only muttered out an apology for asking so many times.

"It just seems too good to be true. I feel like I'm going to wake up and be back in the hospital, or in my bed at the apartment." Lee said, smiling. "There's no way I could thank you enough, Gaara."

"I just didn't want my only friend living in such a place, is all." Gaara replied, still not used to referring to Lee as his 'friend'. But that's what he was. Gaara may not have ever had a friend before, but he decided this is what friendship should've felt like. What he and Lee shared had to be friendship. There was no other way to explain the strange mix of emotions they felt around one another.

Lee's smile only widened at the remark. He couldn't stop smiling, ever since Gaara had said they were friends. Grinning like a fool he could barely think, he was so happy. They were quite the pair, when looked at from afar. They looked odd, one with his arm in a sling, the other carrying an arm full of books along with a backpack and gym bag. Their story was interesting, of how they'd come to be there, at that moment. People could only speculate the actual circumstances.

The sun was getting closer and closer to setting, and neither of them knew the actual time, since they didn't have a watch. They could have asked someone, but they didn't. They had decided to take the bus as a compromise. They'd take the bus to the area where Gaara's house was and walk from there. Since, according to Gaara, his house was still rather far from any sort of bus stop. Gaara had insisted on the bus, since Lee had so much to carry. Lee had agreed because he didn't want Gaara walking so much with his injury, even though it had nothing to do with his legs.

The bus pulled up slowly but surely, only a few minutes late. Lee had to fish around in his backpack for some change since Gaara didn't have almost anything with him. Come to think of it, even the clothes he was wearing weren't actually his. He'd have to remember to give Naruto his clothes back tomorrow.

"Here ya go." The bus driver said as he handed Lee their bus tickets. Gaara didn't understand why they needed tickets for the bus, so Lee explained to him that they were used to transfer onto other buses without having to pay over and over again the same day.

They chose seats closer to the back, Lee using an empty seat to set their stuff down on. He told himself he could fit it all in his lap if the bus got too crowded, though. They sat in a peaceful silence for a while, since the clatter of the bus and other people's conversations made enough noise. It seemed as though it'd be a peaceful undisturbed bus ride, until they were recognized.

"Gaara? Gaara Sabaku?" A girl said, approaching them from a seat in the front. She took the seat next to Gaara, a huge smile upon her lips, her messy brown hair almost completely covering her eyes. "I heard you were in the hospital!" The girl looked at him as if he should know her. Did he know her? He didn't think so. But she probably knew him; maybe she was one of his admirers?

"Hey, Matsuri!" Lee said, leaning forward to wave at her from the other side of Gaara. He knew her from a community service club they'd been in together. He also knew she had the biggest crush on Gaara out of all of his fan girls.

"Oh, hi Lee! I didn't even see you there, with all that stuff in front of you." She said politely, noticeably not half as excited to see him, as she was to see Gaara. Lee just smiled in reply, not having much to say. Gaara still had no idea who this girl was, except that Lee seemed to know her and her name must have been 'Matsuri'. What an odd name, he thought.

"What happened to your arm, Gaara?" She said, almost touching it before Gaara moved away. He didn't know this girl, he didn't want to know her, and therefore he saw no point in talking to her. Luckily for him, Lee was there to talk for him.

"Ah, it's from his accident, you know? You said you heard about him being in the hospital?" Lee replied, ready and willing to talk in Gaara's stead. He could tell by the look Gaara was giving the girl he obviously didn't know her or didn't like her. For a moment he thought of how sad that was, since she was so obsessed with his existence, yet he didn't even recognize hers.

"Oh yes, I heard it was a terrible accident. Gaara even missed school these past couple of days." She replied, and now Lee felt a little hurt. So no one knew about how he saved Gaara? Or was she just omitting that fact from her reply? She didn't really care for any sort of information that wasn't related to Gaara. She was a lot like how Sakura was towards Sasuke, not even bothering to think about anyone but the one they admired.

"Yes, we just got out of the hospital." Lee said, not knowing how else to talk to her. Gaara was still not interested and just sat there. He didn't know this woman, but she knew him, and Lee knew her. How did Lee know her? He was acting a bit awkwardly, but that's how he always acted. Yet… could it be that he liked her? No, preposterous, if Lee liked anyone, it was the pink haired one. But the way they continued to talk, Gaara was feeling a bit… jealous. That was the word for it, he didn't want them talking anymore. He didn't even realize they were talking about him.

"…So you're the one who took him to the hospital, Lee?" Matsuri asked, Lee having just explained how they ended up in the hospital together. He nodded, happy to reminisce about how he had helped Gaara.

The bus was pulling to a stop, there were few people getting on, a couple getting off. Suddenly, Gaara stood to leave, deciding this upon impulse. He'd rationalize his actions later.

"Oh, I guess this is our stop. I'll see you later, Matsuri." Lee said, as he quickly gathered all of their things, stumbling to get out of the bus before it took off again. After he was safely off the bus with Gaara he balanced all of the items he was carrying.

"Bye, Gaara!" They heard Matsuri yell from the bus window. Gaara just gave her a cold stare, Lee wanting to wave, but his hands were very much full.

Gaara started to walk towards his house. He knew they could have taken the bus for a bit longer, but he hadn't wanted to hear that girl talk any longer. She had annoyed him to no end.

"Is your house close to here?" Lee asked, looking around curiously. It didn't look like they were very close to the rich suburban area of the city.

"Close enough." Gaara replied, not sure of how to explain himself. But Lee took this answer without any questions. Gaara was beginning to see how people could say Lee's ability to trust in others was a fault. He didn't think it was so much of a fault as it was a naïve belief that nobody lies. Reality was quite the opposite, but he was sure Lee was aware of that and he just held onto his beliefs anyway. Noble, but not so intelligent of a decision.

"Hey Gaara." Lee started, making sure he had Gaara's attention before continuing. "Did you know that girl?" Lee asked, actually wanting to know. He thought it sad when Gaara shook his head in response.

"Not really. I recognize her, but nothing more. She seems to know me, though." Gaara replied. He turned to wait at a crosswalk, since they'd need to be on the other side of the street sooner or later. They didn't talk while crossing the street, the hum of the cars motors a little too loud to try and talk over. But then Lee picked the conversation right back up.

"Yeah, she knows you. I think you two had some classes together last year, didn't you?" Lee asked, hoping now that Gaara would remember. He thought it really depressing that her world revolved around him and he couldn't even remember her name.

"How should I know?" Gaara answered, knowing that Lee probably knew everyone in all of his classes, but it wasn't the same for him. Rarely did he even participate in class, let alone get to know his classmates. "A better question is why do you care so much?" Gaara let that one slip, actually not making a conscious effort to say it aloud. Lee's attention to the girl only made the small bit of jealously he had felt fester and grow.

"Gaara, that girl, Matsuri, she was, is, in love with you." Lee managed to stutter out, blushing as if he were confessing his own love.

Gaara paused. That wasn't the answer he had been expecting. For a moment he just looked at Lee, discerning his sincerity. Lee wasn't messing with him or lying, he never did either of the two. But it looked as though he had his information mixed up.

"There's a big difference between 'love' and 'obsession,' Lee." Gaara retorted. He knew there where many girls who probably claimed to 'love' him. But it wasn't really love, they barely even knew him.

"I know, but she's a little different from the other girls who like you. Did you know you two have shared classes on and off since you were little?" Lee made a comeback, feeling a little awkward talking about this.

"No, and I wonder how you would know that." Gaara answered, giving Lee a questioning glance. How did Lee know so much about him? He didn't know half as much about Lee.

"She talks about you constantly. I was the only one who would listen so I ended up being her partner in all of our clubs activities." Lee said. It was true, the only person who could stand to hear so much about Gaara was him, and that's because he had secretly wanted to know. Everyone else had thought he was just being nice, like always.

"And how could we share classes? I switched schools quite a few times." Gaara asked, now a bit freaked out. This girl just seemed an obsessed admirer, through and through.

"So did she, her family moved a lot. She told me it was fate, destiny, or something that you'd always ended up together." Lee answered, feeling even more awkward. Why was he still talking? He felt like he was revealing a secret. But he thought Gaara should finally be clued in, since everyone else knew about it. Everyone except him, it seemed. Gaara hadn't had a clue.

"That's…a bit frightening to tell you the truth." Gaara commented. He didn't find the idea of it all romantic in the slightest. Some people might have said it was destiny, but he just thought of it as odd.

"Still," Gaara started, deciding to turn away from the stalker talk, "it isn't love she feels for me." Just a very creepy crush, Gaara thought.

"How do you know?" Lee asked, not rudely or sarcastically, but really wanting to know. This conversation, learning what turned Gaara away from people, just might help Lee in his secret quest later on.

"Because, we've never held a conversation. Ever. When I think about it maybe I've said a handful of words to her over the years. Never a conversation, like the one we share at this moment." Gaara paused, for some reason Lee knew he wasn't done so he just waited for him to continue.

After a few more moments of silence Gaara finally found the right words to say. "She cannot be in love with me, if she can't even speak with me. I cannot say she doesn't know me, for she obviously does. But there is a difference between knowing someone and actually having a possible relationship." He paused once more before finishing, "And that's what love is for her, a possible relationship, which it shouldn't be. That's not what love is at all."

It was the most he had ever said on the subject, and Gaara felt it might have been the most he'd ever said period. He didn't like talking, normally, yet he was being quite the conversationalist. Maybe it was his just having been released from the hospital, or his sudden epiphany on what that girl really felt, but most likely it was the presence of the guy next to him. He found himself, as time went by, acting less and less like himself, around Lee. Was it a bad thing? It didn't feel bad or wrong, just different. And he wasn't an idiot who believed change was always bad. He'd just never really changed, and he had never thought there would be a reason to. Yet, maybe it was what he'd needed all along.

"You're right." Lee finally commented, because there wasn't much else he could say. Gaara had made his point, and his point was a reputable one. They continued for a bit in silence, both just drinking in their surroundings, observing everything absent-mindedly. The area was going from stores and businesses to houses and condominiums, the streetlights farther and farther apart with more side streets in between. Gaara knew the area well, since he'd always been one to go for a walk when his mind needed clearing. Lee usually ran to clear his mind, but it didn't need much clearing and he was usually running, anyway.

"Much farther?" Lee asked, not because he was tired, just because he was curious.

"No, we're almost there." Gaara answered, leading them down a few more side streets until they started to pass houses so large and ridiculously furnished that they were fit to be on MTVs 'Cribs.'

Lee was excited, nervous, and honored all at the same time. The thought of living with Gaara, in a house like one of these, was enough to make his head spin. High off life, people said, and though Lee had never been high, he decided this is what it would feel like. He was so happy he could have busted into song and dance, could have started laughing without reason. But there was a reason, he was so happy, so relieved, that he was sure it had to all be a dream. A very real, sensuous dream, a fantasy, a daydream, something. It was too good to be true. Way too good to be true. He felt light headed and bubbly, he wanted to laugh aloud, but Gaara wouldn't have appreciated that.

"Thank you so much, Gaara." Lee chirped happily, and his comment seemed to come out of nowhere in Gaara's mind. But Gaara nodded, muttering that it wasn't a problem.

"We'll go get you new clothes tomorrow. And a gym suit to replace the one I ruined." Gaara said, knowing they could go to get the clothes after school, on the way home. Home, he had dreaded the place before, had never really wanted to be there. It was so big, spacious, and empty, a constant reminder of how alone he was. Secretly he'd always wanted to bring some sort of animal home, to try and lessen the oppressive, lonely atmosphere. Bringing Lee home was a bit like that, and with Lee acting the way he was Gaara could almost see Lee's non-existent tail wagging.

"I do not need much, what I have with me is most of my wardrobe, anyway. I usually just wash them often enough so I do not have to buy more." Lee replied eventually, a little sheepishly. He really didn't own much; he'd never stop to think about how little he had, he had always just moved forward with what little he did have.

"All the more reason to get you something new." Gaara said. He didn't know how to feel about buying all of this stuff for Lee, housing him. He didn't think of Lee as a pet, even though he'd silently made that tail remark. He wasn't his 'sugar daddy' or whatever those people were called that gave money to their lovers. He wasn't his parent, which would usually be the one buying these sorts of things. He just wanted to buy Lee things and make his life better. Because, well, in a sort of sense Lee had made his life better, for if Lee hadn't intervened he wouldn't be here. Gaara was no longer angry over the matter; he accepted it, because it was the past. There was no use in denying the past unless you had a time machine, and he didn't have one of those. He wasn't thankful to Lee for saving his life, he was thankful to him for saving his sanity. Lee had given him the one thing money didn't really buy, companionship. So Gaara thought it a meager attempt to repay him by giving him the things money could buy.

"Thank you, Gaara." Lee said again. Lee wasn't sure how many times he'd say it, but he was so grateful. He felt a bit sad, since he couldn't hug Gaara to express his gratitude, he couldn't really do anything for Gaara, and Gaara was doing everything for him. All of his dreams were coming true and more. He'd just wanted Gaara to tolerate him, maybe sometimes speak with him and such. Instead he got all of this. It was more than he could really comprehend. He would do anything for Gaara, but he'd already felt that way before. What was more than 'anything and everything'? He didn't know, but he owed Gaara big time.

"You don't have to thank me for everything." Gaara commented, and he decided to keep a mental note of how many times Lee thanked him.

"Ah, I am sorry." Lee replied with a blush.

"Or apologize for everything." Gaara added.

"Oh, I am… I mean, okay." Lee said, his face a bit more crimson and his 100-watt smile still staying strong.

Gaara knew they were close to his house, and started to wonder how Lee would react. It was awfully big, and he was already looking at these smaller houses agape and awestruck. Maybe he'd faint very girlishly, Gaara joked in his mind. They were now walking up a not so steep hill, but the mansion was atop it, and would soon be in view. Gaara decided he wouldn't point it out; he'd just walk up to the gates and get them through, having Lee follow him with his jaw on the floor. They were the richest family in the area, and his father had enjoyed flaunting that.

When they reached the top of the hill Gaara started to cross the street towards his home, Lee following behind, and just as Gaara had predicted, he was too amazed to say anything. He assumed it was Gaara's house, the way he made a beeline for the gate. Gaara was already announcing that they were there through the speaker before Lee was even out of the street.

"Home sweet home, Lee." Gaara teased, and Lee couldn't look away, from Gaara or the house.

Lee's reaction took Gaara by surprise when Lee suddenly fell to the ground. Gaara thought for a moment that maybe he had fainted, but he was scrambling to pick up everything he'd dropped in an instant. He'd tripped on the curb and executed a perfect face plant, nosebleed and all.

Lee looked up once he'd gathered everything in his arms again to see Gaara, concealing what might have been a chuckle, if that wasn't way too out of character to be possible. He must have been coughing or something, for he surely wasn't laughing. Was he?

Gaara couldn't help it, it came a second nature. He'd never actually seen someone do something so foolish, so goofy. He didn't want to laugh at Lee, but the small fit of chuckling was too strong. He tried to hide it, but couldn't. It passed almost as quickly as it had come, but Lee caught a glimpse of the small smile that lurked under Gaara's hand, which he was trying to hide his face with.

"Hey, I saw that!" Lee exclaimed merrily. He'd seen Gaara's real smile. Not that smirk he gave out sometimes, but a real, almost boyish smile. Lee didn't even realize his nose was bleeding all over his face, making him look even sillier. Lee stood up quickly, smiling, his lips and teeth turning red from blood.

"I'll fall on my face more often if I can get you to do that again." Lee said excitedly as they made their way through the now open gates and up to the house. Lee saw that Gaara still glowed a bit from the tiny fit of laughter. It'd been the most precious thing Lee had ever seen. He'd do anything to make Gaara smile like that more often.

Gaara had gotten control of himself and let out a small sigh; that had taken a bit out of him. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed, if he had laughed before. "No, Lee. That'd be wasting a perfectly good face." It wasn't until then that Lee realized his face was leaking blood, because it had started to run down his neck. He touched his mouth and his fingers came back red.

"Where am I bleeding from?" Lee asked, a little frightened. He didn't like blood very much, and he was surprised he hadn't realized he was bleeding before. Gaara's smile must have distracted him.

"Your nose, it doesn't look broken, though. I think you scraped it." Gaara said, looking at Lee as he tried to keep the blood in his face by pressing his hands to it. "We'll fix it as soon as we get inside." Lee nodded, covering his face from the nose down with both hands.

It'd taken them awhile, probably a bit longer than it should have, but they had arrived. The sky was just turning purple, the last of the suns rays disappearing in the distance, so they'd barely made it before nightfall.

Lee was still holding his face as they waited on the doorstep in a very large patio. The walkway was made of white marble, Lee observed, which just made him more worried about dripping blood on it. Gaara said it was okay, someone would clean it up. But Lee really didn't want to bother anyone more than he had to.

A maid, in full uniform, answered the door. Gaara didn't like having so much help, so they only had a select few servants left from when their father was alive. This maid in particular was one of his favorites, since she never asked questions and got her job done in silence.

"This is Lee. He'll be staying with us from now on." Gaara said, and was pleased when all she did was incline her head a bit in Lee's direction. Lee felt awkward, since he really couldn't say anything or smile in reply, so he just nodded his head, smiling under his hands at her.

The house had a certain glamour that could only be obtained by being so insanely spacious. Lee had been down in the town hall once, and this entrance, the hallway here, gave him the sort of feeling that building had. One of power that was much greater than yours. He felt very small, and like a bumbling fool in this house, set next to all its beauty. Not to mention he was doing everything he could just to keep his nose from spilling blood on the floor.

"Come on." Gaara said, and Lee saw that he was already halfway down the hall, holding a door open. As Lee rushed to get over there he noticed it was a bathroom, which was just as clean and spacious as the rest of the house. This bathroom by itself was surely bigger than his bedroom had been. But who could possibly like their bathroom this big? It had a sunk in tub, a shower, a separate area for the toilet, three sinks, and many cabinets. And since if was in the first part of the house, Lee wouldn't be surprised if it was the smallest or one of the smallest bathrooms in the place. He felt like he was tainting it with his presence. But Gaara was already looking through the cabinets, searching for band-aids, Neosporin, a washcloth, and whatever else he might need.

The washcloth was found first and Gaara tossed it to Lee. It was so white and so clean Lee almost didn't use it. But after a little hesitation he was wetting it in one of the sinks and washing his face, finally daring to look in one of the many large mirrors. It wasn't so bad once he'd gotten all the blood wiped away. Just as Gaara had thought, there was a pretty sizable scrape on the tip of his nose, but nothing more, and it was already almost done bleeding. He cleaned up what he could off of the collar of his shirt, and then checked their books and things, for he had still found a way to carry them in there and set them down away from the sink. There was nothing to clean off, and when he turned to help Gaara he found the red head had already found both the band-aids and the Neosporin.

"Here." Gaara said, handing them to him, taking the now pinkish rag and throwing it in the dirty clothes bin that was in the room. Lee carefully applied the gel and bandage, choosing one that looked a little to big and out of place on his nose.

"Looks like someone tried to chop my nose off." Lee observed in the mirror, also seeing his still reddish teeth. He quickly licked his teeth clean and spit the blood out and was now okay to smile all he wanted, since he didn't look like some kind of messy vampire any more. He rinsed the blood off the sink and tried to clean it, but Gaara stopped him.

"You'll be putting people out of a job it you go around cleaning everything. Don't worry about it." Gaara said, putting the bandages and such away before leaving. Lee followed him out the door. He was feeling smaller and smaller in this place by the second, so big and so empty. The only people he saw were one or two maids.

"I know it is obvious, but this place is so big." Lee said, already lost. He would have already had a hard time finding the front door again.

"My father was a bit eccentric. More than half of these rooms aren't even used and were never used for much in the first place. All fully furnished and ready for use, though." Gaara said. Lee wondered if they had different themes or if they were all standard issue classy rooms, with paintings, flowers and such. Soon they reached where the hallway split into three.

"Straight is Temari's room, left is Kankuro's, and right is mine. The middle of the house is where my father's room is. We no longer use that room, or the rooms next to it." Gaara explained. Lee now knew why Gaara hadn't shown him any of the rooms; they were too close to the heart of the mansion. They were on the right side of the mansion, and they'd passed the middle.

"So what is on the left side of the house?" Lee asked, Gaara shrugged.

"Family rooms, never used. A dinning hall. The kitchen. Some game rooms. Offices." Gaara listed. Lee was interested, but didn't ask to see them immediately. He was going to live here, wasn't he? He'd have time to find out where everything was. He hoped that he'd be able to make himself a map. The hallways all looked the same; he knew he'd get lost.

Gaara seemed to be waiting for something. Lee tried to figure out what it was, and it took him a couple of moments to remember that he was supposed to be choosing his room.

"I will take one in the same hallway as your room, if that is okay." Lee said, and Gaara instantly started down the right hallway. This hallway, Gaara's room, was probably as far away from the center of the house as it could possibly be. But even Lee knew that the two had never really gotten along. It made Lee wonder why Gaara's father had left everything to him. He didn't dare ask, and he knew that if he had, there was a good chance not even Gaara knew why it'd been left to him.

"Here's the room closest to mine." Gaara said, motioning to the door on the right. It was the last door in the hallway before it ended, where there was a double wide French style door, obviously leading into Gaara's room. Lee hesitantly opened the door, peering in only to see nothing but darkness. He quickly groped for the switch and turned on the lights.

The room was mainly white, like most of the house, but accented with a very familiar blue. The curtains, some of the pillows on the private couch and love seat, the sheets and blankets of the bed farther off, and a lot of other little accents were all the very familiar blue.

"They said it's the exact same color as my eyes. I told them the room was decorated before I was born. They said that just made it all the more 'special'." Gaara said, the sarcasm oozing out of the last word. "I had never planed on using it anyway."

Lee was awed, to say the very, very least. It was a most beautiful room, the area with the couch, love seat, and entertainment center sunken in, the bed on the same level they were, but all the way over by a very large window in the upper right corner. A dresser was next to the bed, and across from all of it, on the left wall by the end of the entertainment center and on the same level as the bed there was a door. Lee assumed it was a closet.

Gaara caught Lee looking over at the door. "That leads to the bathroom. Actually, this room and my room share a bathroom. So we'll have to lock both doors, I guess. Or you could use the one down the hall." Gaara quickly explained. Lee was still too in shock, trying to get over the fact that this was his new room, his room! It was so nice; he had to be living in a dream. But he was okay with that. Because Gaara was in this dream, and he hoped that if it was a dream he wouldn't ever wake up. He realized what that would mean, but he still wished it. Let it be reality or let it be death, if it was this good, he couldn't complain, now could he? He set down his and Gaara's things on a table next to the door. He couldn't contain his joy much longer; he finally gave into the impulse.

Gaara was almost expecting Lee to faint, since it all seemed to be getting to him. Plus that much blood lost from an area so close to the brain… But what Lee did do Gaara was most definitely not expecting. Lee turned towards him, smiling, and tears of happiness threatening to make themselves known. He quickly pulled the red head into a tight embrace before could have been any words of protest.

Lee probably didn't notice, but he had lifted Gaara off the ground for a little bit with his embrace. Lee quickly put the other boy down, and stepped back, almost falling into the sunken in area of the room. "Sorry." Lee muttered, smiling and blushing.

"But Gaara, you have given me everything I could have ever asked for." Lee said, trying to explain himself, hoping Gaara could receive his gratefulness through contact, since he wasn't very good with words. In his mind, he always seemed to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Gaara was going to say something, but Lee continued.

"Not just the room, or any of the other stuff. Not just the fact of being able to live under the same roof as you, none of that. Even without all of this I'd still be happy enough to burst." Lee said, seeing that Gaara still hadn't understood his thankfulness through the hug. He tried to explain how he felt in words. But it was much harder.

"Than what?" Gaara muttered, still a bit bewildered by the hug. He was experiencing a lot of his firsts with Lee. He almost getting used to all of these new experiences.

"Just you. I am just glad to finally know you, like a friend, you know? That is all I really wanted, and now all of this. As I said, I am so happy I could burst." Lee said exuberantly. He really was. He kept wondering when it was that he would finally explode into a million tiny, happy pieces of Lee.

"Please don't, it'd be tragic." Gaara replied, really meaning it. After a moment he saw his things left aside on the table. "Here, let's take my books to my room." Lee nodded at this idea, and if his smile could have gotten any brighter than it already had been then it did. He was too happy for it to be healthy, yet Gaara was relieved by this fact. He wondered if it was contagious, since he seemed less and less spiteful the more he spent time with Lee. Gaara noted that Lee looked absolutely ridiculous grinning like a fool with that bandage on his nose. He hoped Lee's nose would heal quickly.

Gaara led them down the hall and opened only one of the two doors, only stopping to flip on the light switch as an afterthought. It seemed he was used to walking through his own room in the dark. With the lights on, the room was on par with the entranceway, if not even more high and grand. It was decorated with crimson and black, but the walls and floor were still white. Gaara had never taken much of his anger out on his room. Why should he? The things in it were all inanimate objects and could easily be replaced or erased. So it was very plain other than the curtains and such, no posters, no photos, no knickknacks, nothing other than what wasn't necessary, really. It had it's own entertainment center, couch, and love seat set. There were a few more tables, everything a bit bigger and fancier than what had been in the other room. Even with the white walls and floors it still seemed darker, though. Lee looked up at the high ceilings not only to find beautifully made arcs, but a very expensive looking chandelier. Not as gigantic as the one in the entrance, Lee remembered, but still quite impressive. The bed was a canopy bed, with thick solid black curtains with red trim. It looked as if he used the curtains more often than not, the holders loose with long-term use. It was obvious no one touched the room other than Gaara, for the tiny bit of disarray it was it. Just messed up sheets or unevenly distributed pillows, but it was still a sign.

"Are you quite done?" Gaara asked. He had patiently been waiting for Lee to stop analyzing his room, but had decided he'd seen enough.

"Oh yes, sorry." Lee said, setting Gaara's things down for him. Just as they were about to leave the phone in the room rang. The ringing seemed to only come from there, and no where else in the house, which was weird to Lee, since he was sure he'd seen phones in the hallway.

"A personal phone. You can answer it." Gaara said and watched as Lee cautiously picked up the phone and brought it up to his ear.

"Ah, Gaara's room, Lee speaking?" Lee said into the phone unsurely, his statement turning into a question by his own faltering voice.

"Now how odd does that sound?" A woman's voice said from the other line, followed by a fit of laughter. It took Lee a minute to place the voice but soon knew it to belong to Gaara's elder sister, Temari.

"Sorry." Lee said hesitantly.

"No, it's fine. That was just unexpected. I didn't think anyone would answer, really. Gaara hardly uses that thing. But since you're there would you tell him you two should come eat dinner now? If he tells you he doesn't know where to go he's lying." Temari said, and Lee automatically nodded in response, forgetting he was on the phone.

"Yes, of course." Lee corrected himself, now flustered, Gaara watching with increasing interest.

"Okay then." Temari said and then hung up, not waiting for a response. She expected the response to be them appearing in person.

Lee turned to Gaara after he hung up the phone, laughing a bit at himself. "Your sister says we should go eat dinner now."

"We just ate." Gaara said, and it took Lee to remember their last lunch at the Hospital.

"That was hours ago, Gaara." Lee said, but Gaara still seemed resolute on his opinion that they didn't need to eat again.

"If not for you, at least show me where the dinning room is. Please?" Lee said, and Gaara knew he was trapped. His little dog was giving him those eyes again.

"Fine." Gaara replied, walking back the way they had come. This time Lee made an effort to commit the route to memory.

"But you have to stay for dinner, or I might get lost going back to my room." Lee commented, hoping this would convince Gaara to eat with him and his siblings. Actually, Lee was a bit scared to be left alone with Gaara's older siblings. He knew that most probably thought Gaara was the scariest, but for some reason Lee didn't want to be left alone to be questioned by the older brother and sister.

"You'd find your way eventually." Gaara finally retorted, holding back an evil smirk.

"Maybe I should start leaving a trail of bread crumbs before it's too late…" Lee said jokingly.

"You don't have and bread." Gaara observed, continuing the joke.

"Then I'll just have to start leaving behind pieces of my clothes." Lee replied, now thinking of it as a strategy game.

"What happens if you run out of clothes?" Gaara asked, an invisible eyebrow raised.

"Ah, is this place really that big?" Lee asked, afraid of the answer.

"Pretty much." Gaara answered.

"What if they were really tiny pieces?" Lee asked.

"You'd still run out eventually. And then you'd have to have dinner with my siblings naked." Gaara replied, hiding another evil smirk.

"Then I guess the only solution is for you to stay and have dinner with me." Lee said, happy with the outcome of the game, even though he had technically lost. Gaara was the one stuck having a meal he didn't want.

"Or I could leave you to get lost." Gaara said.

"Now that's just mean." Lee pouted.

"Who told you I was nice?" Gaara couldn't help the smirk now. "Because they lied."

"Gaara, I know deep down inside you're just a cuddly, lovable person, aren't you?" Lee teased.

"If that's true, then deep down you're a serial killer." Gaara replied.

"Just that one time, and I thought we agreed never to mention it again!" Lee joked, his demeanor becoming more and more giddy. Here he was, in Gaara's house, living with Gaara, having dinner with Gaara, and joking with Gaara. Like they were friends. Because they were friends. He was surprised he hadn't passed out yet.

They were at the dinning hall already, surprisingly. Lee knew it had to be because time flies when you're having fun, he just knew it. He opened the door for Gaara, giving him the best gentlemen's smile he could muster. He followed in after Gaara, entering another extravagant room, with a table that could fit twenty or more, easily. Everything was so grand Lee was finally getting used to it. It seemed both Gaara and Lee were going to have to try and get used to each other, one another's life styles.

Only the last four places of the table were set, though, Temari and Kankuro already occupied two of the places. "Glad you could make it." Temari smiled, and Lee took his seat only after Gaara was already seated, so the red head couldn't make a run for it.

"So, to what honor do we owe this visit?" Kankuro asked Lee, who once again was flustered, giving Kankuro and Temari the wrong impression.

"It's not a visit." Gaara said in a very bored tone after a moment of Lee struggling for words. "He's living with us now. I gave him the room next to mine."

"Oh, alright." Temari said, Kankuro replying with, "Good for you." It seemed a bit too easy to Lee, who finally decided it was one of their weird sibling quirks or a rich people thing. He didn't know, maybe it was a blend of both. But he didn't dare question it.

"The food should be out any minute, I'll have them get your drinks, too." Temari said lightly, taking a sip of her own drink.

"What happened to your nose? Looks like someone tried to cut it off." Kankuro remarked, and Lee nodded.

"That's what I said! But it's just a scrape." Lee answered, smiling.

"He tripped on the curb in front of our house." Gaara said, amusement apparent in his voice, the smile almost resurfacing at the memory.

"Sorry I missed it. I hope it's on one of the security tapes. If we still have those things." Kankuro said, turning towards Temari.

"Yeah, I'm sure we do. I'll ask. It'll be our new favorite home movie." Temari said to Lee, smirking. Now Lee saw where Gaara had gotten his smirk. It was creepier from its original source.

"I want a copy." Gaara said, the amusement still there in his voice.

"We'll all get copies." Temari replied, Lee turning a dark shade of red. Then Temari seemed to remember something, because her face lit up as she turned towards Kankuro.

"Did I tell you what Lee said on the phone when I called?" Temari was obviously amused, Kankuro interested, and Lee turned even redder, if that was possible.

"No, I thought you called Gaara." Kankuro answered.

"I did. He said 'Gaara's room, Lee speaking.'" Temari continued, chuckling at the end of it, Kankuro laughing unabashedly at the comment. 'They have the wrong idea!' Lee thought, but didn't say anything. He just sat there red as a tomato and just as silent as one.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that." Kankuro said after he was done laughing. He turned to Lee. "Good job, Lee. Keeping things interesting around here. I'm sure glad you came along."

"Me too, I was getting worried about our little brother. But you're such a good influence on him. He's lucky to have you." Temari said, giving him a real smile.

"No, I'm the one that's lucky." Lee said, surprised he'd been able to say it without stuttering it out. Temari and Kankuro smiled at that, and you could tell they were tempted to go 'awwwww'. Lee could also tell that they were a bit tipsy, so it must have been wine that they were drinking. That's why they were so agreeable, or maybe they always were. Lee decided they weren't so formidable when drunk.

"He's such the little gentleman, Gaara. I'm a bit jealous." Temari said it, but it was obvious that it was the liquor talking.

"Get your own." Gaara said, and he felt quite protective of Lee. No one could have him, especially not his siblings.

"Maybe I will…" Temari replied, a mischievous smile on her lips. "You got any friends that like older women, Lee?"

"Um, I do not really know…" Lee stuttered, not knowing if he should feed her drunken curiosity. Luckily for all of them the food was ready. The waiters set the food and asked Lee what he wanted, he replied water and Gaara did the same. A wise choice, they both said to themselves.

"Ah, finally, food. My one true love." Kankuro joked, then dug right into his meal. The dinner was eaten in silence, since they were all in fact eating, except Gaara, who only sipped at his water and messed with his food. Maybe he ate two or three bites, at most.

"Well, good night you two." Kankuro said as he left his seat and headed towards his room. Temari did the same, only she winked before leaving the table.

"Ready?" Gaara asked, obviously bored. Lee nodded in reply, though he felt bad about leaving his dishes for someone else to clean up. Gaara once again made the comment about putting people out of their jobs and they left the room, heading through the maze of hallways.

"Thank you." Lee said, and when it was apparent that Gaara didn't know what he was thanking him for this time Lee added, "For not leaving and having dinner with me." Lee finished, smiling.

"Not a problem." Gaara said in reply. They were back at their rooms too quickly, Lee thought. He'd been enjoying their comfortable silence.

"Well, good night, Gaara." Lee said smiling, going towards his new room. His room! He'd never really had his own room…

"Good night, Lee." Gaara replied, going into his room, this time not bothering with the light.

Lee was in his room, his room! It was so beautiful; he'd almost forgotten how nice it was. He had also forgotten how tired he was. He was exhausted, he didn't know why, but he was. Maybe it was changing homes, because he hadn't done much to make his body tired.

He fell down upon his bed, his bed! And crawled under the blankets. Looking at the blue now it was most indeed the same color as Gaara's eyes. This only made him even more happy, and he fell into a peaceful sleep, surrounded by those beautiful blue eyes.

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

I love you. There. I said it. It's all I need to say. I'm sleepy. School is soon. Work looms ahead after school. I spent my break playing Zelda. But I love you all, you are the reason I told myself 'NO SLEEP! YOU CAN'T DISSAPOINT THEM AGAIN! IF YOU DON'T DO IT NOW YOU NEVER WILL.' So thank you. ;D

((For my crappy art for these things see my homepage! My Deviant Art has them hiding somewhere...))

P.S. If Gaara's a raccoon and Lee's a dog then together they make a magical Raccoon Dog.


	7. Part 7

Chapter 7

Lee awoke to the sight of those beautiful turquoise blue eyes in front of him the next morning. At first he thought he was seeing things, but it looked so real he didn't think he could imagine it. Gaara was there crouched down, facing him, since Lee had been lying sideways.

"Gaara!" Lee almost shrieked, surprised and feeling a bit out of place.

"I didn't think it would work." Gaara said, standing and turning away.

"What?" was all Lee could manage to say.

"I heard somewhere that if you stared at someone while they slept they'd unconsciously feel you staring at them and wake up." Gaara said, surprising Lee once again, not by what he said, but how much he said. Lee was happy Gaara actually answered him, and answered him fully.

"Oh, all right." Lee said, now sitting up and shifting his weight uncomfortably on his hands.

"You snore, by the way." Gaara added, as if Lee needed to know that information or he wouldn't be able to go on.

"Really?" Lee replied, a bit disturbed by his own habit.

"Not loudly, just really lightly." Gaara answered.

"You do not snore, just so you know." Lee commented, liking their pointless conversation in the darkness of the early winter morning.

"Oh." Gaara said, still facing away from Lee, towards the oversized window.

There was a silence, neither of them had much to say in the first place, but all of the awkward silences between them were gone. There was a sort of comfort in the moments of quietness they shared now.

"You could go back to bed, it's only four. I won't wake you again." Gaara said into the silence, turning to face Lee once again.

"No, it is fine. I would like to go to school early anyway, to talk with Mr. Gai. I am already used to waking this early in the morning." Lee answered, smiling, even though they could barely make each other's faces out in the dark. Gaara gave him a nod of affirmation.

"So you're going to get ready for school?" Gaara asked, and Lee nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, I really should. You do not have to go with, Gaara, I will be arriving quite early." Lee replied, moving the covers from his legs and standing on the opposite side of the bed from Gaara.

"No." Gaara shook his head. "But how will you get to school?" Gaara asked, knowing they were a bit far from the school, not knowing exactly how far, though.

"Another reason I am excited, I finally get to jog to school again!" Lee said, stretching his arms above his head, banishing all of the sleepiness from his body.

"Then you can use the shower first. I'll be in my room." Gaara replied, moving towards the bathroom and then right through it into his room. He moved like an apparition through the darkness, and Lee wondered how he could possibly be so graceful when he couldn't see where he was going. Lee knew he needed to turn on the light before he even attempted to make his way through the room. He feared falling into the sunken in part of the room and landing on his face again. It'd be just his luck to hurt his nose again and have to wear two Band-Aids on his nose. That would've made him look even more awkward.

After shuffling around in the dark with his hands in front of him he found the lamp on the nearby table and turned it on. There was also a dresser next to the table, in the little alcove by the bed. Lee noticed the closet once again, still impressed by how much there was in this one room.

Curiosity getting the better of him he went to investigate the dresser. He thought for sure it would be empty but instead he found an array of t-shirts in the first drawer. Polo shirts, muscle shirts, brand name shirts with only the company's logo on them, and they were all different colors, shapes, even sizes.

The next drawer held jeans and cargo shorts of the same variety. There were different kinds of jeans, different colored cargo pants and shorts. Even some camouflage items were hidden in the drawer.

The final drawer of the seemingly small dresser had bulk packs of socks, some boxer shorts in a couple of different sizes, and even some swim trunks. None of these clothes looked like anything Gaara would wear, and he couldn't exactly imagine Kankuro in any of these particular clothing items, either. He wondered where they came from, who they were for. They couldn't have appeared there over night, they must have been in there before Lee arrived. But why?

Once again Lee couldn't help it and let his compulsion to explore the closet take him over. It was his room, wasn't it? Lee was surprised to find a walk in closet when he opened the door, though he knew he shouldn't have been surprised. He'd never really even been in a house with something as extravagant as a walk in closet, and he could tell just from the doorway it was almost the same size as his bedroom had been before.

In the closet there was a plethora of coats, sweaters, hats, scarves, and different types of shoes. Boots, sneakers, Chuck Taylors, sandals, rain boots, vans, shoes with zippers down the middle, that even Lee knew to be a bit older and out of style, were in there. Upon further inspection Lee found a couple of suits in the closet, complete with matching vests, ties, bowties, and shoes. One looked a bit small for him, but still too big for Gaara, and the other looked more of Gaara's size, but most definitely not his style, being a light shade of blue, like the room.

He exited the closet, which felt more like a room to him, and went to grab his own bag of stuff from by the door where he'd left it. The one lamp wasn't enough it illuminate the entire room, and when Lee flipped on the main light he saw everything a lot better. He took his bag over to the bed to sort through it, taking out the few pieces of clothes he'd already worn and setting them aside. He turned off the bedside lamp, the main light being more than sufficient. He looked up only to be reminded that the main light wasn't just one of your run of the mill lights connected to a ceiling fan, but a miniature chandelier. It was all still so strange to him, the richness of life he was currently living.

Not that his life hadn't been rich before, in it's own way. His life had been rich in friends, happiness, and such, but not quite so literally. If he were to live with Gaara he'd be living the high life. Lee knew money couldn't buy happiness, but it could provide stability. Something he'd never really had before, since whether or not he'd have electricity where he lived had been a big issue even before he could talk. Lee thought it was a bit like the prince and the pauper, only Gaara and him looked nothing alike. And they didn't really switch places, or anything else in the story, but Lee's current situation still reminded him of that story nonetheless.

Money couldn't buy happiness, but Lee could try and provide it. Slowly he seemed to be having an affect on Gaara. At least, he thought he was making an impression. Gaara seemed to frown less, at least, by what Lee could tell. It wasn't like Gaara was smiling all the time or anything, but the slight change in his demeanor was noticeable. His grimace wasn't as deep as it had been before, his usual expression not as harsh of a scowl. Maybe it was Lee being too hopeful, but he thought that if he kept smiling, if he stayed by Gaara's side, he might be able to make Gaara laugh and smile more often.

Lee knew he couldn't expect him to totally change. He knew that having a Gaara that laughed and smiled all the time was unattainable. Even just having a Gaara who didn't scowl at strangers in public was pretty much hopeless. But a less depressed Gaara? A Gaara who could laugh or smile once in awhile? Now that, Lee thought he could manage. Especially when he received so much in return. This was the closest he'd ever had to a home, a family. And he was more than grateful for all of it.

Lee finally picked out a simple pair of jeans and a long sleeved blue/green shirt. He would have to ask Gaara about the clothes in the dresser later. For now he'd just let them be. He made his way over to the bathroom, admiring his room once more. For the one-hundredth time in the past twenty-four hours he couldn't believe it, that this was real, that this was his room, this was his life!

Gaara, once he had retreated to his room, thought about his current situation. It was a rare moment when he wasn't thinking about something, letting his mind wander through useless mazes of thought. But now he thought deeply about his current position in life. He'd invited Lee to live with him, and though he knew this was the right decision to make, what was it that made him think it was right?

Had this all been occurring just a few days ago, or a week ago, he'd had thought differently of it. If asked to explain why he let Lee live with him, the answer was simple. Because Lee's old apartment had been in shambles, and the guy had saved his life. But even that seemed out of character of him, he wasn't really someone to care about things like that. Much less take those things into consideration for letting someone live with him.

And hadn't he been outraged at being saved before? He knew somewhere along the line he had let go of that resentment, because he didn't want to hold the fact that he'd saved him against Lee. He wasn't excited about living, and didn't have a new appreciation for life. But he did have a new view of death, and decided that his attempt to die was melodramatic, overly compulsive, and most of all stupid. Wallowing in self-pity and self-abuse was just a waste of time. He wasn't afraid of death, but he no longer wished for it. He couldn't tell if that was because of Lee's influence or his own.

Gaara couldn't really put a reason to why he was so… infatuated? Was he infatuated? No, something less than that, but it was the first word to come to mind. He didn't know why he was so open to Lee. He didn't know how he knew he wouldn't become annoyed by Lee's presence over time. But something inside of him said he wouldn't. Wouldn't grow tired or bored of him. Maybe he'd chosen to house Lee because he needed something different in his life. Lee would keep things interesting. Isn't that what Kankuro had said? And because of Lee, indirectly of course, he'd now have a better relationship with his siblings. Maybe they were more alike than he'd always assumed.

The shower could be heard turning on from Gaara's spot on his bed. The silence revealed all the little sounds that would've gone unnoticed otherwise. Even the sound of the water running seemed to echo in the pre-dawn darkness. Another thing Gaara would have to get used to.

Yet it was almost soothing, hearing the quiet noises that gave away the presence of another person so near. If Temari screamed at the top of her lungs from her room Gaara would never hear her. Maybe one of the maids would, but the sound would never even reach anywhere near Gaara's room. Gaara's solitude was broken. But for some unknown reason he took comfort in that fact rather than disgust.

Maybe he was just slowly going insane. Or he had already been insane and was becoming sane. Either way, he felt his entire self-contained world turned upside down. Being turned around from where it was before, his life felt… right. He'd felt so wrong before, never satisfied with anything, always angry, hating himself so much he could only hate everyone else around him. He didn't love himself now; he didn't feel a new connection to the rest of humanity. He just felt a new connection with one other person. But that one connection showed he could make a connection. And he knew that he would become connected to his siblings now, making two more connections. Feeling connected, being no longer out of touch, he felt different. The difference was for the better. Getting used to that difference in his life was proving to be easier than he ever thought it would be.

Being obsessed with death was dumb. What was he, some kind of emotional gothic kid or something? He didn't feel the urge to dress in all bright colors or anything, or start being a social butterfly. But as he had stated to himself before, he no longer wished for death. Which was a good thing, he guessed. Maybe it was the first step in a series of steps that would lead him somewhere. Where he expected those steps to lead, he didn't know. But he knew the hardest part was over. He'd been struggling long enough. If there were some sort of god-figure he wouldn't be so heartless as to make him struggle much more.

Gaara heard the shower turn off. He fought the urge to check the door and see if it was unlocked. For some reason he thought it might have been amusing to hide Lee's clothes. A bit childish, but still an urge he had to fight nonetheless.

Lee stepped out of the shower onto the cold tile, praying that he wouldn't slip while walking over to the place next to the sink where he had left his clothes. He'd made the smart move of finding a towel beforehand so he wouldn't have to look for one while wet and naked. After he'd dried off and gotten dressed he cleaned up the trail of water he'd made and threw the dirty clothes and towel into the hamper.

Looking into the mirror he saw his hair a wet mess atop his head. That, and he couldn't wear what he was in to jog to school! He'd have to change into sweat pants and a different shirt, so he could change into this after morning training. He unlocked the door leading to Gaara's room before moving towards his own. He went back towards his bag to find his brush and an outfit to jog in. He changed and put his good clothes into his bag to change into later. Then he packed up his books and such, leaving his personal belongings and extra clothes neatly piled on top of the dresser.

He was ready to go to school. But it felt like he'd lived a thousand lives since the normality of school. It'd be so similar to the way it had been before. His life had changed, but the school hadn't, his classes hadn't, his classmates hadn't. After changing so much Lee felt awkward going back to the simple ways of high school. But he was excited for it.

Lee felt that he needed to tell Gaara that he was leaving before he actually left. For some reason he knew Gaara wasn't asleep, yet he was still hesitant to knock on his door. After two soft taps of his knuckles on one of the doors Lee waited for a reply. The small knock had echoed in the silence and Lee thought it much to loud.

Gaara got up from his bed, no grogginess to bother him since he hadn't been sleeping. Lee was surprised to see the door open; he'd expected Gaara just to yell back at him. But Gaara really wasn't the type to yell.

"Um, I was just wondering if you needed anything, before I go." Lee said, blushing even though he didn't know why. Gaara looked even smaller in the overly large door way.

"No." Gaara shook his head, his unkempt hair swishing about his face. "But you should probably eat breakfast."

"Oh, I had completely forgot." Lee said, his stomach rumbling with the mention of food. "But I… don't remember where the kitchen is." Lee admitted, a bit ashamed. He'd have to memorize the layout of this house so he could stop bothering Gaara.

"It's all right, I'll show you." Gaara replied, now stepping completely out into the hallway and shutting his door.

"Thank you." Lee said, following a step behind Gaara.

Gaara shrugged in reply, noting it was still rather dark outside through the few windows in the hallway. Since it still wasn't five yet the kitchen hands would be asleep. But Gaara was certain Lee knew how to pour himself a bowl of cereal properly. Gaara thought that Lee must have known how to cook a great deal of things, since he lived on his own.

"It is going to feel weird going back to school." Lee commented. Gaara nodded, agreeing.

There was silence, until Lee noticed something odd. "Gaara, you're not wearing your sling!" Lee almost exclaimed, Gaara simply letting his arm hang immobile by his side.

"I know." Gaara stated, pausing before he continued, "I was hoping no one would notice."

Lee didn't know what to say, he couldn't force Gaara to wear it, especially if he didn't want to. "Please wear it to school, so no one runs into your arm." Lee could just imagine careless students running into Gaara's injured arm with no remorse in the crowed hallways of their school.

"Fine." Gaara replied, to Lee's surprise. Gaara had been deterred from wearing it to school because it would attract unwanted attention. But everyone probably already knew he was injured because of the news. And a bandaged up arm attracted attention by itself anyway.

Gaara led them straight through the dinning room into the kitchen, simply saying that everyone was still asleep. Lee was once again amazed. The size of the kitchen, how clean it was, it looked like it could be on one of those fancy cooking shows or in the back of a five star restaurant.

"There is some cereal, right?" Lee asked, not seeing any signs of where he might find anything.

"Somewhere, I'm sure." Gaara said, walking towards the cabinet, which was the size of a normal bedroom. On about the fourth shelf up was the cereal, just high enough that Gaara would have had to stand on his tiptoes to reach it comfortably.

"In here, take your pick." Gaara said to Lee, who was across the room with a bowl, having found it in one of the cabinets. Lee quickly came over, setting the bowl on the counter and gazing at the pantry with awe before spotting the cereal and picking one. Gaara moved over to the giant refrigerator and grabbed the milk, setting on the counter next to Lee's bowl. He also retrieved a pair of spoons, deciding he didn't want a bowl of cereal, but he did want a bite of Lee's.

Lee had picked some sort of flakes that were frosted and shut the pantry door, making sure to turn the light off. "Thank you." Lee said smiling when he saw that Gaara had already gotten the milk. After he poured himself a bowl of cereal and milk Lee put away everything before he even started to eat.

"You could've left it out." Gaara replied to Lee's action.

"'A clean kitchen is a happy kitchen.' That's what Mr. Ichiraku always says." Lee commented, smiling. He'd almost forgotten about work, that'd be another part of his life that would feel so weird because it was the same. Or would it be the same? He'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

Lee took a few bite of his cereal before he even noticed the extra spoon Gaara had grabbed. After swallowing the bite he was working on he asked about it.

"I think I might want a bite. Not much more." Gaara answered. Lee almost replied by saying Gaara could've just used his spoon, but then he realized that was a bit weird. Plus it would be an indirect kiss, Lee found himself blushing at the thought. Lee had finished almost half the bowl before Gaara even moved to grab his spoon. He stood right next to Lee, had they been the same height it would've been shoulder to shoulder, and took a bite over the bowl. Gaara literally threw his spoon into the sink when he was done.

"Nice shot." Lee commented, smiling. Gaara just continued to stare out the dark window that was on the opposite side of the kitchen.

"It's nice out." Gaara stated randomly, admiring the dark purple of the sky with the light line of lavender peaking out from the horizon.

Lee finished the bite he was on before replying, "Yes, it really is." Lee was now admiring the beauty of it. Lee knew that some people would just say it's dark out, nothing special. But there were so many kinds of darkness, and so many different shades of colors in the sky. People would call a light blue 'sky blue' but the sky could be so many different hues of blue. The sky never had just one color to it.

After he finished Lee went to the sink to rinse out his bowl but Gaara told him to leave it. He didn't even need to remind Lee that someone would be out a job this time. Lee had his bags and things ready to go with him so Gaara led him to the front door.

"You won't need a key. They should know you're staying here by now." Gaara said, the statement not random in his mind, but Lee found it to come out of the blue.

"Who should know me?" Lee asked; pointing to himself as if he needed to make sure Gaara was talking about him.

"The servants. Word travels fast between them. You'll just need to announce yourself to get back in." Gaara explained, Lee finally understanding.

"Oh, thank you." Lee replied, smiling.

Before much more could occur they were standing in the entrance way again. The grandeur still amazed Lee. He wondered if he would ever not be amazed by the things in this household. He hoped not, it was much more interesting if he held everything in awe.

"Well, see you later." Gaara said before turning to walk back towards his room.

"Thank you, Gaara!" Lee said, smiling at Gaara, astonished to see the red head actually turn around.

"That's the fourth time. I'm counting from now on." Gaara replied, narrowing his eyes. It took Lee a moment to grasp what Gaara was saying, but he got it.

"I am sorry." Lee apologized, turning a little red.

"No apologies, either. I don't need them." Gaara said before he turned to leave.

"Ok, Gaara." Lee said to the red head's back before leaving. He felt odd, since this was the first time he was leaving Gaara since the accident. But Gaara seemed a lot more stable now. Still, Lee wanted to be by his side. He decided he could trust Gaara with his siblings, now that they were on better terms with each other.

Lee started his jog before he was even out of the gates, which opened with the push of a button. He didn't have to think so much if he was jogging or running, since it took up so much of his focus just to do it right. The fancy houses passed by in flashes, he still felt out of place.

He left the suburban area and the streets were still pretty empty. The streetlights were still on, all of the shops still closed. A few places opened at five, but not many, and it had just turned five not too long ago.

Lee paced himself, since he was carrying more than he usually did, running farther than his usual routine made him. No one else was really out on the side walk so he didn't feel as awkward jogging on the side walk as he would have had there been any crowds.

Storefronts passed, Lee started to notice the Valentines Day decorations already covering the displays. It was the end of January, still it seemed too soon. Usually he spent Valentines Day with My. Gai, training for track meets. He wondered if he could get this holiday off for a change. He wanted to be able to see Gaara, maybe get him some flowers? But Gaara hated this holiday and everyone knew that. Lee still wanted to get him something. Gaara didn't like sweets, and he probably wouldn't appreciate flowers. Lee had until Valentines Day to figure out what to get him. And ask Mr. Gai for the day off. He didn't know if he would let him leave, though, since nationals were approaching. He had until March, he'd reason with Mr. Gai, surely he could take one more day off before then.

Lee arrived at the school at approximately five forty five, according to the clock inside the school when he got there. The school was unlocked and relatively empty, save for a few teachers and even fewer students. Lee stopped by his locker in the junior's section before heading towards the gym, to put away his books.

The instant he entered the locker rooms he was swept into a tight embrace by his coach. "Lee! It's so good to have you back!" Mr. Gai said as he swung his student around in the embrace. He was a bit overbearing to most people, but he was the closest thing Lee had to a father, so he welcomed the masculine affection.

"It is good to be back." Lee replied, smiling. His coach put him down, putting his hands on Lee's shoulders.

"Now it's time to train three times as hard!" Mr. Gai said, looking at his pupil and winking. Lee didn't sigh, like someone else in his position might have, but his smiled widened.

"Yes, Mr. Gai!" Lee replied, ready for it. His training seemed like a whole day within itself, and by the time they were back in the locker room from the track Lee was running late to his first class. Luckily first period was study hall, so Lee wasn't missing much. Though, it was one of two classes he shared with Gaara, so he changed, got his pass from his coach, and ran to his first period. He didn't need any of the books he'd put in his locker yet, so he went straight to his class.

"First day back and he's already making you late for class." Commented Mr. Kakashi, the economics teacher and study hall supervisor for Lee's particular study hall period.

"Sorry." Lee mumbled, blushing a bit while trying to catch his breath completely. He handed the pass to Mr. Kakashi, who threw it onto a pile of them on his desk.

"I'll take them down to the office sooner or later. We all know you're not skipping class." Mr. Kakashi replied, just like he always had. Nothing had changed. It was surreal in a real sort of way.

Since it was study hall they didn't have assigned seating, so today Lee found Gaara and sat down in the seat next to him. Lee was happy to see the sling in place around Gaara's neck, supporting his arm. He smiled at Gaara, who glared less in return.

"So early and still late to class." Gaara said once Lee was seated next to him.

"It's good to see you, too, Gaara." Lee replied, smiling. They received a couple of odd looks, but some students seemed to have already known, since they actually watched the news. The classroom disrupted into masses of smaller conversation within the minute, Kakashi not being the kind of teacher to yell at students for talking. He did, however, give detentions to kids who didn't get any work done.

"How many people have asked you about your sling?" Lee asked.

"Seven." Gaara replied.

"How many have you answered?" Lee asked, knowing this number would probably be a lot less.

"Zero." Gaara emphasized both syllables of the word, as if it were an accomplishment.

"Do you have anything to do?" Lee asked, noticing that Gaara's desk had nothing on it.

"Nope." Gaara replied, looking off into the distance.

Lee didn't know what to do, he didn't want Gaara getting a detention, since Kakashi always checked what they had done before he let them leave the class. He was superhuman smart, and seemed to have eyes on the back of his head, so he knew when someone was lying.

"You want to edit my homework?" Lee suggested, and at first Gaara shrugged, not actually wanting to do it. Then Gaara realized Lee was trying to save him from an imminent detention and motioned for Lee to give him the homework.

"Whatever." Gaara replied, taking the math homework and looking it over. He liked checking math, since the answer was right or wrong, no room for leeway on what the answer was, like in English.

Gaara went through a couple of pages of problems, fixing minor errors like missing negative signs or slight multiplication mishaps. Lee wasn't horrible at math; he just wasn't really good at it, either. Gaara then came to the problem he recognized, with his own handwriting already there on the page explaining the steps. It seemed like it had been years ago, when they were in hospital doing all of this homework. It all felt like a bad dream that had taken a turn for the better in the end. And now they were back in school. They had changed; Lee had even changed addresses, which he still needed to notify the office of. But this hadn't, school hadn't. So if school felt real everything else didn't and vice versa.

Gaara looked over at Lee to find him reading the novel they were assigned for English class; The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. "So you haven't finished it yet?" Gaara asked, already done with correcting Lee's homework.

"No, we are only supposed to be on chapter sixteen, of course I am not finished." Lee said, marking his place with his finger and turning towards Gaara.

"Oh, whatever." Gaara replied, not understanding why they just didn't read it all the way through without all these stop and go points.

"So you finished it?" Lee asked, curious. He knew Gaara had a lot more free time than he did and was a lot smarter so it didn't really surprise him that Gaara had already finished.

"Yes, awhile ago." Gaara didn't read for fun too often, but he had liked Crane's vivid battle imagery. All the other students had complained that it had been too wordy.

"I wish I were as smart as you are, Gaara." Lee commented, smiling a bit dreamily. He really wished he was naturally smart, it sure would have come in handy.

"It's not so great. And I'm not that smart." Gaara retorted to his comment, avoiding Lee's smile.

Lee just shrugged, knowing it was no use arguing with Gaara. He didn't like arguing with him, anyway. He knew Gaara was smarter than he gave himself credit for and that's all that really matters. Lee continued to read after another moment, hoping to finish the chapter he was on before they went to class.

Gaara sat and let his thoughts just mingle with each other in his mind. Bits of conversations, a song from the radio, certain peoples voices, and his own words made themselves heard in his brain. It was the closest to not thinking he ever got.

Not too long after Lee had picked his book up again did the bell ring. Everyone scrambled to put their things away and make their way to the door, crowding out into the hallway. Neither Gaara nor Lee were in much of a hurry, though.

"I guess I will see you in English." Lee said smiling before they parted ways out into the hallway.

"I guess so." Gaara replied, easily slipping into the crowd without so much as brushing up against another person. Lee wasn't so skilled, and usually ran into a good two or three people in the hallway, on a good day. English was their second to last class, and for Lee all of his classes seemed to pass by like molasses creeping downhill on a chilly winter day. Of course he had to tell the story of his being in the hospital a decent amount of times, and got to see people he hadn't seen in what seemed like a long while. But for some reason it felt just as it had this morning, like it was wrong for him to be this far away from Gaara, even though they were in the same school.

Lee told anyone who asked about how he'd taken Gaara to the hospital and how he had stayed there with him until he had gotten better. But he always left two important things out, how he'd found Gaara and what had happened after they got out of the hospital. Lee knew he didn't want to tell anyone about the first part, he barely wanted to remember finding Gaara like that himself.

Lee also knew why he withheld the information about how he'd gone to live with Gaara. It would have been awkward to say , 'Yeah, and now we are living together!' At least, Lee thought it was awkward. Gaara probably didn't care one way or the other if people knew. Lee still needed to ask Gaara if it was okay to tell people. Lee hadn't even told Naruto. Though Gaara had given Naruto back his clothes, since Lee had talked with him in science earlier and seen the bag of clothes he was carrying. Lee felt like he was telling a lie, even though he just wasn't telling him everything. He decided he'd tell Naruto, but not in class. After he asked Gaara if it was okay, of course.

Gaara avoided answering all of the questions thrown at him all day. How? By simply ignoring them. If anything he was more quiet in his classes now than he was before, since all everyone wanted to know was about his personal life. Most gave up after he didn't dignify them with a response no matter how loud they talked or however many times they asked.

Lee had almost completely forgotten about lunch. Not the whole eating thing, since he was always up for some food no matter the occasion, but he'd forgotten that he could have seen Gaara at this time. Lee didn't know if they shared the same lunch hour, since the school split lunch into two different periods so the halls wouldn't be as flooded with students. Lee decided he'd still make an effort to find Gaara, after getting his own lunch.

Luckily for Lee, his search was over before it began. He found Gaara waiting by the lockers for him, standing in the general vicinity of the lockers, since he hadn't known where Lee's locker was exactly. Lee was more than surprised by this, and a smile overtook his face immediately. Gaara spotted Lee in the crowd and made his way over to him.

"I am sorry, were you waiting for me?" Lee asked, though he couldn't help smile.

"Yes, not long, though." Gaara replied, his voice a little raspy from lack of use all morning. He hadn't said much since he'd last seen Lee.

"Sorry." Lee replied, moving to open his locker.

"I though we agreed you'd stop apologizing so much." Gaara said, still standing next to Lee.

"Oh, yes, I am sor… I mean, yes." Lee almost apologized. After he'd finished messing with his locker he turned back towards Gaara, noticing the paper bag he held next to one of his folders.

Gaara saw that Lee had noticed the bag and handed it to him. "You forgot your lunch." Gaara simply said, now moving to walk away.

Lee was too shocked to say anything for a second, and a group of other juniors had noticed the exchange, already commenting on it. Lee was glad he didn't know any of them by name. After he noticed Gaara was already a good ways away he finally started to move so he could catch up with him.

When Lee caught up and fell into step with Gaara he asked, "So that's why you were waiting for me?" Lee was blushing, smiling, nervous, his breathing irregular. He blamed it on having to suddenly catch up with Gaara. But the reality of things was Gaara could have been a mile ahead of him and Lee would have caught up with him no problem.

Gaara just shrugged, but there was no other reason for him to have waited there. Lee quickly replied with "Thank you." Gaara shot him a look that usually wouldn't fall after 'thank you,' which confused Lee.

"I thought we also agreed you'd stop thanking me for every little thing." Gaara said, since it was obvious Lee couldn't remember why he was getting a glare.

"Oh, I am sor… I mean I forgot." Lee almost apologized again. It was hard for him since he was so used to being overly polite. All of the sudden being told to stop being polite all together and fulfill that task was proving to be harder than he thought.

They walked in silence for a bit, Lee letting Gaara led them to wherever he was going. Gaara soon led them to a table outside of one of the school's main buildings where cement tables were scattered around. He headed straight towards one that was oddly unoccupied under a tree. Usually a table like this would already have been claimed by some group of friends, yet Gaara came at sat down with no one even attempting to sit at the table. Lee finally realized that no one sat here because this was Gaara's table. By this time in the school year even freshmen must have realized it. It would explain why it was unoccupied and why a group of Gaara's admirers sat at a table not too far away. It would also explain why Lee got such odd looks when he took the seat to the left of Gaara at the table.

"So, do you come here everyday?" Lee asked, now a bit desperate for small talk. People were already whispering.

Gaara shrugged in reply. Lee decided this was as good a time as any to open the bag he'd received from Gaara. As soon as the bag was opened Lee was glad Gaara had brought him his lunch. Now Lee wouldn't have to suffer through another school lunch. Not that the school's lunches were particularly gross, Lee had eaten worse, but the food from Gaara's house was so much better.

"Where is yours, Gaara?" Lee asked, since Gaara had yet to manifest a bag of his own.

"I don't bother bringing one, since I'd never eat it anyway." Gaara replied. He used to use this time to sit and brood or finish homework he hadn't bothered to do. Since he couldn't accomplish any brooding while Lee was around and didn't have any assignments to do his plans were shot.

Lee didn't like the fact that Gaara wasn't going to eat at all. Lee always felt bad if he ate while others around him didn't eat. Though he knew he couldn't force Gaara to eat, either. He began carefully emptying the contents of the bag onto the table; fruits, a sandwich, a bag of carrots, even some ranch.

"I didn't know what you liked. I told them you'd probably want something healthy." Gaara remarked, not looking at Lee but out into nothingness instead.

"Would you please share with me, I doubt I could eat it all." Lee requested finally. They both knew he was lying, since Lee could probably eat his own body weight in food if he tried. Gaara turned towards him a shrugged anyway, picking up a few choice grapes and eating them.

There was silence once again and Lee could pick up a few words being said by the girls behind him. He felt as though he could actually feel their glares, as if they had manifested into laser beams shooting right at his back. He tried to shrug it off, because he knew he'd have to get used to it. Gaara had overprotective fangirls.

Gaara had been thinking, his thoughts leading him in many different directions at once. He soon spoke up, asking a question that came from nowhere in particular, but needed to be addressed.

"How did you know when my birthday was?" Gaara asked, though it wasn't defensively, as it had been all those nights before.

Lee decided he couldn't say the truth because it would get his teacher in trouble, though Gaara probably wouldn't care all that much. And he also decided he couldn't lie, not only because that wasn't youthful but also because the best lie he could think of at the moment was 'Lucky guess?' He knew no one would buy that.

"…There are some things best left unsaid." Lee finally answered, blushing at his own ridiculous answer. But, to Lee's surprise, Gaara accepted it. Apparently he hadn't been too bent on getting the answer out of Lee.

Soon the bell rang and Lee quickly threw away the trash leftover from his lunch. They had one more class to go to before English so the separated ways as soon as they approached the building.

His lunch with Gaara had gone by so quickly Lee had forgotten how slowly time moved in his other classes. It seemed as though it should already be the end of the week by the time he reached his English class. It was just Monday. Lee had a long week ahead of him.

Naruto was also in their English class, and smiled and waved as Lee came in. "It seems like I haven't seen you in days!" Naruto exclaimed. They had just seen each other earlier in science but Lee knew what he meant.

"A long day for you, too, Naruto?" Lee answered as he set his stuff down next to his desk.

"Yep. I say we skip to Friday, or at least Thursday." Naruto replied, already stretching and yawning. Lee and Naruto's seats were close together but Gaara sat a few rows away. He hadn't arrived yet, but there was still time left before the bell rang.

"How's that telekinesis going?" Naruto asked playfully.

"Better, I am still working to perfect it, though." Lee answered smiling.

"Yeah, that's something you have to learn to get the hang of." Naruto continued, sitting on the desk rather than in the chair. Naruto still had the bag of clothes from Gaara propped up next to his desk. Lee felt bad that he had to carry them home.

"And what's up with you and Gaara? You know it's kind of weird he brought you a lunch. Why would he even bring your lunch, as some sort of gratitude? That's definitely not true, it's too out of character for him…" Naruto continued to ramble on. And Lee would have stopped him, but Gaara had walked up behind Naruto so Lee kept his mouth shut. He hoped Naruto would take the hint. Eventually he did.

"He's standing right behind me, isn't he?" Naruto asked.

"No, I'd be standing right in front of you if you sat in your desk correctly." Gaara replied, Naruto turning to see him.

"Hi, Gaara." Lee greeted smiling. Gaara acknowledged him by looking at him and nodding his head once. Then he turned back to Naruto.

"I brought Lee his lunch because he forgot it." Gaara replied to Naruto's question from earlier.

"How'd you know he forgot it? Unless…" Naruto didn't say anything, but just looked from Lee to Gaara as if they were both completely insane. Which was probably true, but the staring was uncalled for.

"So you two…!" Naruto started but Lee shushed him.

"Yes, we live together." Gaara stated, moving towards his own seat and sitting down just as the bell rang for class. Lee hoped that Gaara's voice had been quiet enough to not carry. But when he looked up from his desk there were pairs of eyes staring at him. And he was pretty sure it wasn't just because his face was beet red. Well, at least he didn't have to worry about telling Naruto now. Or anyone else for that matter. Since even Lee knew that gossip in a high school setting spread faster than wildfire.

Lee didn't even dare to glance back at Gaara for the rest of the class period. He knew his face would catch fire as soon as he did. Gaara was so very frank with everyone. Lee liked the honesty in that, but he really wished he could not let the embarrassment affect him. How had Gaara mastered not letting it get to him? He'd probably mastered it a long time ago. Or it was just an innate quality of his.

The teacher lectured through the whole class period. Luckily for Lee, it gave no one the chance to talk about anything. Maybe they'd forget about it. He hopelessly hoped that was the case.

The bell rang too soon for Lee to be comfortable with it, for the first time that day. He waited for Gaara and they walked out of the classroom together in silence. Lee really didn't know what to say.

"I assume you're staying after school to practice." Gaara stated as they walked towards the lockers. Lee nodded in reply.

"I hope he will not keep me too long. But since I have missed so much practice lately he might make me stay longer than usual." Lee rambled on, glad to be out of that silence.

"When is 'usual'?" Gaara asked.

"About seven or eight." Lee said, proud of how much he trained.

"Be home before nine." Gaara replied.

"Why?" Lee wondered aloud. It wasn't like Gaara to command him to do something for no reason.

"The cooks only cook dinner from six to nine-thirty." Gaara stated, knowing Lee would want to eat something when he got home.

"Thank you, Gaara." Lee said smiling in earnest. That little comment made Lee feel like someone really cared for his well-being.

"Don't thank me." Gaara replied, turning to leave the school.

"I will see you later?" Lee asked kindly to Gaara's back.

"Of course." Gaara answered before walking away.

Lee didn't know if he'd ever get used to living with Gaara. He hoped he never would.

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

WHATEVER! xD I'm bored, how about you? I think we need to fast forward to Valentines Day. And that's just what I'm going to do.


	8. Part 8

Chapter 8

Days passed uneventfully while they were at school. The weekends seemed even longer to Lee since he still had to go to work. Gaara hadn't said much about his job, but Gaara didn't say too much about anything.

"Where're you going?" Gaara had asked when Lee was getting ready for work, having had his uniform packed among his other clothes. Lee had learned that all of the clothes in his room had been bought for Gaara in advanced, years and years ago. Gaara had told him he could have everything that fit and could burn the rest if he pleased. Lee donated the rest, never having been the sort to run around burning things. Except for a few things, such as the blue tuxedo, Lee got rid of everything obviously too small for him. He knew he would never get Gaara to wear it, but he could still dream. Lee had gotten into the habit of wearing the new clothes instead of his own clothes, which were on the brink of destruction. Now Lee could see a point in burning those clothes.

"To work, Gaara." Lee had answered simply to Gaara's question, smiling as he put his name tag on, pricking his finger in the process. He got it on despite the accidental pricks to his finger.

"Oh, right. You work at that ramen shop, correct?" Gaara inquired, leaning against the nearest wall with his arms crossed.

"Yes! I am surprised you knew that." Lee replied, his smile brightening as he turned towards Gaara.

"You've told me once before." Gaara stated.

Lee thought hard to recall their conversation about his work while they had been in the hospital. He did remember it, though. "So I have." Lee said, still grinning.

"You don't need to work anymore." Gaara almost whispered, his voice barely reaching Lee's ears. Luckily he had been listening closely or he wouldn't have caught it at all.

"Well, not right now, I know. But would you really be willing to support me for the rest of my life?" Lee replied lightly, but Gaara was very serious, just as he always was.

"Yes." Gaara answered the question that was supposed to be rhetorical. His answer surprised Lee and he stopped moving just to gaze at Gaara blankly. Gaara was giving him a look that said 'Of course, is there any other answer to that question?' He would have said the look simply stated 'No duh,' but Gaara's expression was way too serious for that.

There was silence for a few more moments as they did little but stare at each other. Lee was at a loss of words and actions. Gaara had nothing more to do or say. It took him a while, but Lee finally willed his body to finish the motion it had been in. He was now ready to leave.

"Well, I believe I'll be late if I don't leave now." Lee said, his smile now unsure and his actions jumbled. He felt himself blushing and once again cursed his face for being so quick to turn red.

"My offer still stands." Gaara said after Lee had turned to leave. Lee turned back around to face him, giving him the best smile he could muster through his confusion. For some reason Gaara found this slightly confused smile more charming than Lee's regular onslaught of grins.

"Thank you, Gaara." Lee replied softly, turning once again to leave. For once Gaara didn't chide him for his thanks.

As Lee left he felt a small ache in his heart. Worse than the empty feeling he usually felt when he was separated from Gaara nowadays and but a little better than whenever he saw one of Gaara's fan girls confessing their love to him. Lee hadn't known that someone could fall even more in love with someone they were already in love with. It was confusing, to say the least.

They got so many hostile stares at school that Lee was slowly learning to not let them affect him as much. He should have been used to them, since he used to get picked on a lot, but he wasn't. Gaara didn't even notice the stares, or at least, he acted as though he didn't notice them. It was hard for Lee to tell sometimes.

The 'rumor' about them living together was, so far, just a rumor. Even though some people had 'actually heard Gaara say it,' it was still too outlandish to be accepted as fact. Naruto, who people were questioning on the matter, refused to say a word. Lee was happy to have such a loyal friend and felt bad that he'd gotten him caught up in this mess.

Speaking of living together, Lee was slowly being shown more and more of the Sabaku residence. It was even bigger than he imagined. Gaara had a crudely drawn map made for Lee within a week. But it was so vague Lee could barely follow it. Gaara was forced to personally escort Lee through the house. It wasn't like he had anything better to do anyway.

Most of the tours were boring, mostly because Lee was too busy writing down notes on his map to really appreciate anything. But one 'adventure' through the household had been quite memorable. It was late one night, after Lee had gotten 'home' from practice and already eaten, making it about nine thirty. Early for Gaara but pretty late for Lee. Lee still couldn't bring himself to think of this place as 'home.' He was sure all that would change with time but for now the thought of this being his home was too great. His mind was in a sort of awed denial. He still couldn't believe any of this was happening. Sometimes he wondered if he was just in a comatose state and this was his fantasy. Too good to be true was an understatement.

"Where to tonight?" Gaara asked as soon as Lee was done eating. Gaara seemed to be eating a little bit more as time went one, but maybe Lee was just imagining it.

"You mentioned game rooms once…" Lee started, not really sure they had enough time to be doing this tonight. He was really quite tired. Yet he was determined to finish his map. They had been filling it out bit by bit. Soon enough Lee would have more than three-fourths of the map done, with every room labeled.

Gaara didn't say anything more as he led them down a few of the hallways Lee already had labeled. He quickly made note of an office and a bathroom they passed before reaching a rather large door, Gaara stated it was a game room. Lee was surprised when Gaara opened they door to reveal a room neatly organized with shelves and shelves of board games. There was also a foosball table, an air-hockey game, and an abundance of tables and chairs. Lee was surprised only because he had assumed Gaara meant video games, but maybe that's why multiple rooms had been mentioned.

"It does not look like it is used very often." Lee remarked after jotting down a couple of notes.

"It isn't." Gaara stated, looking into the room with no particular fondness.

"One would expect everything to be dusty." Lee commented, touching one of the shelves of games with a certain boyish wonder. He had never played any of the games, but all of the titles were familiar. When he was younger he'd quite often dreamed of having a room much similar to this one.

"If it were someone would be out of a job." Gaara replied, not harshly but as if it were a widely known and undisputed fact of life.

Lee just continued to let his gaze wander over the titles that should have been associated with precious childhood memories. Neither of them had those to look fondly back on, so in their minds there was that one similarity. They were both isolated in their childhood. For different reasons, and it had resulted in the different outcomes, but the isolation was the same. There really is no varying factor to isolation.

After another moment, Gaara commented, "We could play one." The suggestion turned Lee around in an instant, his smile more childish than he was probably aware of.

Lee quickly realized he was getting way too excited about playing a board game and tried to smile a little less. "We do not have to, I mean, it is pretty late already…" Lee really wanted to play, but he didn't want to bug Gaara with his silly whim.

"No, it's all right." Gaara replied, walking past Lee to grab a box, pulling it down from it's place on the shelf. "How about this one?" Gaara questioned, setting the box down on the nearest table.

The box was both wide and tall, in big bold letters it said 'Clue.' Lee nodded, taking the seat across from Gaara. "I have never played before, though." Lee continued to smile, taking the lid off of the box. Gaara quickly grabbed the instructions.

"Neither have I." Gaara replied to Lee's statement, scanning over the paper. "I guess that means we must read the rules first."

Gaara started to read the paper aloud as Lee set up the game board, putting the little game pieces in various areas, shuffling the cards, even though they'd never been used before. But Gaara wasn't even half way through the paper when Lee felt his eye lids slowly begin to betray him. They wouldn't stay open, no matter how hard he tried. He knew they should've skipped the tour tonight. He really wanted to play with Gaara, but before he knew it his head had descended to the table and his eyes were completely shut. An instant later he was asleep.

After Gaara had finished reading the rules he looked over at Lee, expecting the game to begin. Instead he saw a very much asleep Lee, complete with drool and light snoring. "Am I really that boring?" Gaara questioned himself, but then he remember Lee's constant comments about it being late and such. He really should have paid more attention. Lee needed sleep just like the average person did. Gaara was always forgetting that.

"Come on Lee, wake up." Gaara said, in a louder voice than his usual tone, but he wasn't very loud to begin with.

"Lee." Gaara said again, he got a loud snore in reply. Gaara leaned over the table and proceeded to poking Lee's face.

"You can't sleep here." Gaara reprimanded, hoping logic would wake him. No cigar. He thought the position Lee was in looked very uncomfortable. He doubted that anyone but Lee could sleep in that position.

Gaara sighed. He wasn't going to wake Lee unless he attained a blow horn or shook him severely. But Gaara doubted if either of those things would really work. He tried staring intensely at Lee but it didn't work this time. He must have been really tired.

He cursed under his breath as he got up out of his chair, moving to Lee's side. For once he was glad almost every room in this household was equipped with a couch. Though he still thought it odd that some of the more lavish bathrooms had a couch. Who needed a couch in a bathroom, anyway?

In an amazing show of strength Gaara swung Lee's arm over his shoulder and supported the other male's weight. He quickly dragged the corpse like body over to the couch in the center of the room. Gaara dropped Lee onto the couch, rubbing his arm from the strain. Lee had weighed more than Gaara had accounted for. Of course, it was all obviously muscle.

Gaara made sure Lee had a pillow under his head before he left the room for the nearest linen closet. Grabbing the first blanket he saw out of that closet he quickly returned to where he'd left Lee. Sure enough he was still there and still very much asleep. Gaara placed the blanket over Lee, making sure all of his lanky body was covered.

"Gaara…" Lee muttered through his sleep, "You are so nice." Even in his sleep Lee wore that idiotic grin. But for some reason or another, maybe the sleep induced words and that grin caused Gaara to go a bit red. He was glad for the Lee's unconsciousness. Gaara didn't think he liked being seen blushing.

He stepped back to inspect his handiwork. Lee looked snug and peaceful. Gaara turned to leave, all the way to the door before he realized something that made him stop completely.

What if Lee woke up and didn't know where he was? Sure, he had that map, but Gaara didn't really think Lee was getting the hang of reading it yet. What if he woke up in the morning and got himself lost? Gaara grumbled and went back to the linen closet he'd grabbed Lee's blanket from and grabbed one for himself. Upon returning to the room he sat down in the large armchair opposite of Lee. He was a bit more tired than he normally was. But he didn't normally try to carry someone much bigger that he was. After a little while, Gaara surprisingly found himself falling asleep.

Lee awoke the next morning with a start. Other than not being in a bed the first thing Lee observed was the sleeping Gaara in the chair across from where he lay. A sleeping Gaara. The sun filtered in through the blinds to barely land on his face, just below his eyes, and if the sun moved just a bit higher in the sky the light would shine directly in his eye. That itself would certainly wake up Gaara, who was already a very light sleeper. For a moment Lee felt like the luckiest guy in the world. The last time Lee had seen Gaara asleep they'd been in the hospital, and Gaara hadn't seemed to glow as he did now. Lee liked sleeping Gaara, he didn't force himself to frown or guard his emotions. Of course, Lee liked every sort of Gaara, this one just seemed so much more innocent and pure. How anyone could be frightened by someone so pretty Lee couldn't understand.

"Gaara." Lee whispered before the sun could wake him. Lee had said it quietly but it'd been enough to wake him. He opened his eyes slowly, moving his hand to shade his face from the sun's advances.

"How… Unusual." Gaara finally muttered. Lee gave him a look that said 'What?' before the other male could even begin to mouth the words.

"Waking up to the sound of someone's voice saying my name. Waking up sitting up. Having slept like this in the first place." Gaara answered Lee's question before he could even ask it, which made Lee smile. They understood each other so well, he thought to himself.

"Yes, it is quite unusual. But not really unpleasant. I mean, seeing you sleep. Though I felt it a shame to wake you." Lee replied smiling shyly. He felt like he'd stolen that image of sleeping Gaara. He felt very lucky indeed.

"The sun was about to do it anyway. I'd much rather be awoken by your voice." Gaara stated, not realizing the innuendo that could have gone with that statement. Lee blushed a bit, having imagined Gaara in a different setting where he could have been awoken by Lee whispering his name.

They sat in silence for a moment before Lee suddenly got up. "We should probably head to our rooms now. To get ready for school." Lee finally said, grabbing the sheet he'd been using as a blanket. Gaara nodded and stood up beside him, and when they turned to walk out the door Lee noticed the untouched game board.

"We will have to play another time." Lee remarked wistfully.

"Tonight, even." Gaara replied. "That is, if you get home early enough." Gaara quickly added, causing Lee to smile. Lee just felt spoiled with affection this morning, even though there had been no real affection given. It caused a great swelling of heat in his chest. He felt proud to be alive.

Days like that always made such great memories. Lee was forming so many new memories with Gaara, he kept a special place for them all in his mind, since he was determined not to forget any of them. It was his responsibility as a hopeless romantic to remember all the moments they shared. Once he thought of writing them all down. But he'd shot that idea down since there was a chance Gaara could find the journal he wrote it all down in. He would have had a tough time explaining that.

One day, during lunch, Lee noticed the keychain he'd given Gaara while they were still in the hospital. It rested on the front zipper of his backpack, hanging there innocently. But it looked so out of place, despite how cute it was. Or maybe it was because it was so cute? The kind of thing you'd expect a young girl to have connected to her backpack.

"When did you put that there?" Lee asked, pointing to the keychain.

"Last hour. I had never known that was what it was for, or I'd have put it there sooner." Gaara replied.

"What?" Lee asked, astonished. Gaara was so smart, yet he hadn't realized it was a keychain you could attach to your bag? Lee, little by little, was seeing just how socially inept Gaara was.

"I had been fiddling with it last hour and someone showed me it could connect to my bag." Gaara answered, opening his own lunch next to Lee's, which had already been spilled across the table. Gaara had started brining a lunch, mostly to humor Lee. Today's lunch consisted of a piece of bread and a few grapes. It wasn't much, but it satisfied Gaara's minimal hunger and Lee's need to see Gaara eat something.

"So you like it?" Lee questioned, smiling. He was a bit proud of it. It was like Gaara carrying a sign of their friendship wherever he went.

"Yes. It even has a name." Gaara stated, almost smiling.

"Oh?" Lee gave a Gaara a quizzical stare as he bit into his sandwich. It was a bit too boyish, and way too cute. Gaara gave him a rare smile. Fan girls who had been spying swooned and reached for their cell phones to take a picture.

"Shukaku." Gaara said, his smile faded after he said it, but he kept that almost smile. He didn't grimace nearly half as much when he was around Lee.

"Why 'Shukaku'?" Lee asked after he'd finished swallowing his bite.

Gaara shrugged. "Sounded right." He really didn't have any further explanation than that. Lee nodded his head, understanding.

Somehow that picture of Gaara's smile ended up on a popular teen website. Unlike usual camera phone pictures it wasn't all grainy with bad quality. One of the girls must have had a nice phone, the only thing wrong was that it was at an angle; there were no blurs or anything. Needless to say, the picture got numerous amounts of comments and views, even from people who had no idea who Gaara was. Luckily, Gaara never learned of his Internet popularity.

And before they knew it Valentines Day was upon them. Lee had gotten the day off of training in advance, his coach encouraging him to enjoy such a wonderful day of love in the springtime of his youth. The night before Valentines Day, while training, Lee still had no idea what to give Gaara as a gift.

Chocolates were out. No stuffed animals for sure. No real animals, either. Flowers? Lee didn't know what kind he liked, if he liked any. And how could he hide anything he bought from Gaara? They lived together. Flowers seemed too flamboyant anyway. No sweets of any kind, Lee knew Gaara didn't like candy. Lee had thought about preparing him a home cooked meal, but he knew his skill couldn't even begin to compare to the cooks at Gaara's house. And Gaara barely ate their food. Was jewelry even an option? He'd never seen Gaara wear anything akin to jewelry before, other than a couple of those studded black leather cuffs once in awhile. Though he could imagine Gaara wearing a masculine necklace of some sort. The kind with dragons or swords on them that people bought at stores such as Hot Topic and Spencer's. Lee did have money to spare nowadays since his whole paycheck wasn't consumed by rent…

He was really out of time. He left the track a bit early to catch the store before they closed and be back home before dinner. He felt a little odd going into the store in his jogging clothes, especially with all of the teenagers dressed in layer after layer of black. He quickly picked something out that he thought Gaara might wear. Or if he didn't wear it he could at least hang it up in his room.

When he went to pay for it he fumble through his backpack for his wallet for a minute before it was finally produced. He looked up at the cashier with a shy smile, feeling disoriented as he handed her his card. He always felt awkward when he used his card, since he didn't often use it. He had direct deposit for his checks, though, so he knew there was money on it. Still the cashier paused when she slid his card through the machine.

"Hey, you're that Lee kid." She said casually, smiling at him through her piercings and blue hair. He had never met this woman before in his life.

"Yes?" He asked, confused. Her smile just widened.

"You saved Gaara Sabaku, it was all over the news." She commented, handing him his card back. He fumbled putting it back in, now very aware of the glances people were giving him.

"Yes…" He replied, not sure what to say. She looked him over from behind the counter.

"You really do have a nice set of legs." She complimented, Lee found himself blushing a bit. He wasn't used to compliments, especially from complete strangers. And he was now very aware of his jogging suit. He felt underdressed even though he was completely covered.

"Ah, thank you." He quietly replied. She handed him his receipt as soon as the machine finished printing it out. People were now whispering amongst themselves. Lee could hear the astonished 'Really?' come from a few people.

"Have a great evening." She said, though it was one of those rare times she actually meant it. He nodded in reply.

"You do the same." He said before leaving. Once he escaped all of the eyes that had been on him he started running for Gaara's house. He shoved his wallet and the necklace in his bag hastily, somewhat embarrassed, for no reason in particular. He didn't like strangers recognizing him, he decided. He liked leaving a lasting impression on people he met, but strangers knowing his name and face? For some reason he wanted to hide away. And back home with Gaara was the perfect place to do that.

"You're home early." Gaara commented as Lee panted at the door in front of him. He'd ran all the way there, at a speed he normally saved for competitions. He'd really been freaked out. He had the urge to hug Gaara, but stopped himself. He'd been getting more and more urges like that as of late.

Lee was glad Gaara had come to the door to greet him. "Yes." He finally said, "I am." Gaara moved and Lee followed, closing the door behind him. Gaara, seeing how tired Lee looked, sat down in the living room to the right of the entranceway. Lee followed and sat down on the opposite end of the couch.

"I also do not have to go to practice tomorrow." Lee commented once they'd sat down and he'd regained complete control over his breathing.

"For Valentines Day?" Gaara questioned. Lee realized this was the first time they'd talked about the holiday.

"Yes, actually. I thought we could spend it together." He looked over at Gaara, suddenly shy. "I mean, not in that sort of way. But we could watch movies or play games or something." Lee quickly stuttered out, trying to cover himself. He'd been planning this all along, but out in the open it sounded like such a stupid idea. He chided himself for being so lame.

"That sounds…nice." Gaara replied after a moment, Lee's smile returning. "We don't spend much time together, even though we live in the same house." Gaara commented, Lee nodded.

"That is exactly what I was thinking. It will be very nice for a change." Lee responded, glad to have Gaara understand.

"We should take your things to your room." Gaara said after another moment. Lee again nodded.

"You are right." Lee replied, standing and grabbing his backpack and gym bag.

"Do you need any help?" Gaara asked. Lee's smile brightened at this.

"No, but thank you for the offer." Lee didn't need help, of course. But he was ecstatic that Gaara had even asked. Just the offer was enough to make Lee feel cared for.

Gaara shrugged in reply and followed as Lee lead the way through the hall. Lee had finally memorized how to get to his own room, he was proud of this.

"Did you know Valentines Day is actually the day Saint Valentine died?" Gaara commented suddenly.

"No, that is a bit depressing." Lee responded, "Though, the day has become more of just a day to appreciate others, I think." Lee smiled at this, because he hoped that was how Gaara saw it too. Since Lee had already went through the hard process of finding him a gift.

"It's a day when teenagers engage in unprotected sex. That's what it is." Gaara retorted. Just hearing Gaara say that word made Lee blush, but he couldn't disagree. Really, that's the only thing on most teenage minds this time of year.

"I must admit, that is true for the majority of the teenage populace." Lee begrudgingly replied.

There was silence for a few moments, their footsteps seemed to echo harshly against the walls. "I saw you turn another girl down this morning." Lee said, trying to keep the conversation alive.

"Yes?" Gaara knew when Lee had a question on his mind nowadays. Sometimes even Lee was surprised at how Gaara could predict what he would do.

"How many have you turned down?" Lee asked, almost shyly. He'd secretly been wondering this ever since he first witnessed one of those encounters.

"Enough." Gaara answered. He hadn't even kept track. He hadn't really cared. It had been like this for a couple of years now. Ever since high school had started.

"How many have you turned down?" Gaara echoed Lee's question. He had wondered this, too, even though he hadn't seen anyone ask Lee out.

"None. I have not been asked." Lee replied after a short pause of embarrassment. He'd never really been asked to go out before. He used to ask a girl named Sakura out on every holiday, but even he could only hear 'no' so many times.

"I'm glad we'll be spending it together alone, then." Gaara continued, having thought that there might have been the slight chance of someone accompanying Lee. Now he felt a bit foolish for having thought so.

"That had been my intention in the first place." Lee said smiling. "Will your siblings be home?" Lee suddenly remembered to ask. He'd been meaning to ask that earlier.

Gaara shrugged his shoulders. "I don't believe so. And even if they are it's not like we'd really see much of them." Lee nodded in reply, knowing if he didn't see Gaara's siblings at dinner he didn't see them at all.

They'd finally reached Lee's room. "I will set my stuff down and then we will go eat dinner?" Lee more stated than asked, since it was the usual routine. Gaara simply nodded, and leaned against the wall to wait for Lee.

Lee quickly set his things down before they made their way towards the dinning hall. "Do you think your siblings will be joining us tonight?" Lee asked, unable to stop smiling.

"I hope not." Gaara answered. Ever since they'd had dinner together that first night of Lee's stay he always hoped they weren't there at the same time. Every so often they were already there eating when he and Lee arrived, or they came into eat while they were still there. Whenever they ate together it all just seemed like constant jokes from his siblings. Though he was getting to like his siblings more, Gaara still didn't like being the punch line to every one of their jokes.

Temari had acquired the video of Lee falling on his face, though, Gaara was glad for that. She was in the process of making copies, she actually wanted to find out if anyone could make it into a DVD since tape players were so unreliable. She was sure she'd find someone to do it for her.

Much to Gaara's chagrin, his siblings seemed to have been waiting for him and Lee to arrive. "Hey there, long time no see!" Kankuro said as they entered.

"We ate together earlier this week." Gaara replied as he followed Lee to seats on the same end as Temari and Kankuro.

"The days do seem very long, though." Lee remarked. He was slowly growing more and more comfortable around Temari and Kankuro. Though they still scared him, a little bit.

"I thought I had heard the door, I guess I was right. I'm glad I had them start your food already." Temari commented.

"Thank you," Lee replied smiling. Temari shrugged in recognition. They were all growing accustomed to Lee's constant need to thank people.

"I was wondering," Temari started, now turned towards them with a mischievous grin, "What are you two planning on doing tomorrow?"

Lee turned a bit red with the mention of tomorrow and Gaara almost sighed. His sister threw comments fully loaded with innuendo at them a lot these days. "We planned on staying here. Is that a problem?" Gaara replied, and he had to stop himself from scowling at his sister.

"No dates? For either of you?" Temari questioned, but she couldn't keep the grin off of her face.

"I thought for sure they'd go out to eat at some romantic restaurant or something." Kankuro teased.

"Maybe they're staying here for a different reason?" Temari remarked, the grin now also on Kankuro's face.

"It would be like they were alone, since we never really see them anyway." Kankuro continued.

"I'm going out, I don't know about you, Kankuro…" Temari grinned in their direction, now. "But I'll be gone all night, most likely."

"I don't believe I'll be coming home tomorrow, either. And if I do it won't be until really late in the evening." Kankuro now smiled in their direction as well. Lee was already quite red. He hated insinuating comments being directed at him. This seemed to happen a lot whenever they ate with Gaara's siblings.

"Looks like you'll have the place to yourselves." Temari said.

"I'll make sure to tell the house keeping to stay away from that side of the place." Kankuro remarked.

"I-I-It is not like that." Lee finally managed to stutter out, but it was of no use. Gaara didn't even bother to dignify their comments with a response.

"Whatever you say." Temari replied, then she stood to leave.

"Where are you going?" Gaara asked, a bit confused.

"We've already eaten, we were just politely waiting for you two." Temari answered, grin still accounted for.

"See you later, guys." Kankuro said as he also went to leave. Gaara had been right, they had been waiting for them.

"They have the wrong idea…" Lee commented, sighing as the door shut behind them. This was often how he felt after they persecuted them on their relationship.

"About what? That we like each other?" Gaara asked, looking towards the door that led to the kitchen, hoping someone would bring him some water soon. He was almost thirsty enough to take the cup Temari had been using and drink what was left. Though, he guessed it was alcoholic and that'd only make him crave water more.

"N-N-No, not that. I really do like you, Gaara." Lee began stuttering again, back to being just as red as he had been before.

"Good." Gaara replied. "Don't let what they say bother you, then."

"I will try not to." Lee answered, but it was hard for him. He wondered if Temari and Kankuro really were just teasing them or if they actually thought their relationship was at that level. Their comments sometimes really got to him, since he really did want a romantic relationship with Gaara. He'd never tell anyone this, but that's what he wanted. But he was so sure that Gaara didn't share his sentiments that he kept it to himself.

"Finally." Gaara commented as someone brought them two glasses of water. He started drinking his immediately.

"The food will be out momentarily, sir." The maid stated quietly before disappearing again.

"I would not see a point in going to a restaurant, really." Lee thought aloud. Gaara nodded in agreement.

"There really is no need to eat out." Gaara continued. "Whatever we want the cooks could prepare for us."

"It is like having a five star restaurant in your own home, I believe." Lee said, feeling a bit out of place once more. Whenever he was reminded of the grandeur of this household he felt very out of place. He didn't belong here. But he always felt like he was the luckiest person alive when he thought about his situation. Not many people were as blessed as he was. He thanked every god he could think of for his improved life.

They were served their food and ate quietly together. Their meals were always quiet, since Lee busied himself with food and Gaara not one to talk much in the first place. The servants started cleaning even before they were out the door.

"What would you like to eat tomorrow, anyway?" Gaara asked as they walked back towards their bedrooms.

"Nothing in particular. Everything here is always very good." Lee replied kindly. He really had no preference when it came to good food. Though, he did like spicy things, such as curry. But he didn't know if Gaara liked those kind of things, too.

"What's your favorite?" Gaara questioned, Lee shrugged.

"Probably curry, the spicier the better. I do not mind eating whatever it is you like most, though." Lee offered. He might finally learn what Gaara enjoyed eating.

"Well then you won't mind chicken gizzards or salted tongue, now will you?" On second thought maybe Lee didn't want to know what Gaara's favorite foods were. And Gaara never lied just to mess with him, so he couldn't hope that the red head was joking.

"I would take the gizzards over the tongue if forced to pick from those choices." Lee finally replied. Gaara shook his head.

"I wouldn't want you to eat something you don't like. I'll have the cooks prepare each of our favorites." Gaara replied. Lee let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness." Lee said, he had almost thanked Gaara but had stopped himself. He was getting better and better at being less polite everyday. Even though it felt very bizarre to him.

"How did you find out those were your favorites?" Lee asked after thinking a bit about how to word the question. It wasn't what you asked Gaara, it was how you asked it, Lee had learned. If Lee worded the questioned incorrectly he usually didn't get the answer he wanted. Sometimes Gaara took things too literally

"My father held a sort of banquet for a lot of foreign ambassadors. He served a bit of everything. Those two items happened to be on the menu. I tried them that day and they have been my favorites ever since." Gaara replied. When he was younger he wasn't so closed off and had tried a little bit of everything at that banquet. Back then he thought having such gross sounding foods as his favorites was quite masculine. Somehow they had remained his personal preferences to this day.

"It must have been interesting." Lee commented, smiling.

"What?" Gaara questioned.

"Living a childhood around so many important people. Growing up here." Lee said, gesturing to the house around them.

"It wasn't so great." Gaara was about to say more, but stopped himself. He was reminded that Lee had been raised an orphan. So almost any sort of childhood in almost any sort of home would seem very much grand to Lee. Gaara once again resolved to better Lee's life. Even though Lee was older than him, and probably much more mentally stable, Gaara felt the need to support him in every way that he could. Gaara never wanted to see Lee struggle again, since he'd already gone through so much. Gaara felt foolish for ever thinking his life was too hard to bear. It was hard, in it's own sort of way. But if Lee could get through hardships and still turnout to be the happiest person he knew, Gaara could at least just get over the hardships. Optimism was a bit of a stretch, but just dealing with what he was given seemed feasible.

Unbeknownst to Gaara Lee felt the same way. That he had to support Gaara in every way that he could. He knew he wasn't too smart, didn't have much money, and was a bit stubborn but he felt he needed to help Gaara. Secretly they were supporting each other, without the other's knowledge.

They parted ways once they'd reached their rooms, wishing each other goodnights and so forth. Lee, for once, wasn't quick to fall asleep, though. He was glad he didn't have early morning practice the next day.

He couldn't turn his brain off. Usually it was pretty easy for him to shut down and go to bed. But he tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable, and unable to stop thinking. It was the thinking that bothered him, not the bed. He shouldn't be so stressed about tomorrow, he had no reason to be. But he was.

It's not like he'd asked Gaara on a date, or was planning on giving him flowers or anything of the sort. It wasn't romantic at all. Was that why he was nervous? Maybe. He wanted to be romantic, but he knew he couldn't act like that around Gaara. He remembered what he'd said at dinner. He had told Gaara he liked him. But Gaara must have assumed their 'liking' each other was a regular part of friendship. Which it usually was. But Lee liked him more than that, too.

Once in awhile Lee liked to fancy the idea that maybe Gaara liked him in a 'more than friends way' too. In these day dreams Lee would confess his love and Gaara would admit to feeling something more than just friendship towards him. In these fantasies, slowly but surely, Lee would show Gaara the ways to show that you loved someone. Their first kiss would be half accidental, full of shyness and a bit awkward.

From there Lee didn't know where it'd go, usually he didn't have time to think of much more of it, anyway. And if he tried to imagine them dating it didn't work because guys don't date in public. Do they? He knew his love for his friend was forbidden, and that was usually enough to stop his day dreams. It didn't change how he felt, though.

Lee sighed into his pillow. It'd be a long day tomorrow if he didn't get any sleep tonight. Though, he had the feeling it was going to be a long day either way. He stubbornly stopped the thoughts in his head and eventually, he couldn't tell when, fell asleep.

Gaara was still awake and thinking, but that wasn't unusual. He thought a lot, trying to make sense of things or just reviewing what had happened thus far in his life. He had changed a lot in the past couple of weeks. A lot had happened to him, and he realized he didn't hate the change in his life. It might have been because most of it was due to a certain track star now living in his home, he couldn't tell. Maybe his life had just needed change. It was a lot better now. And somewhere in his mind he knew it was all thanks to Lee. If not just because Lee had literally saved him.

Gaara still didn't quite know what it was about Lee that made him so willing to change. Though he knew that around Lee he was becoming a lot less dark. Even when Lee wasn't with him he was getting told all the time about how he looked happier. Not happy, not quite yet, but happier.

Gaara absent mindedly touched the scar on his arm. He had only had to wear the sling for a couple of days. The family doctor had come to visit him a lot after school for the first week. Now he only came about once a week. Lee had yet to meet him, since Lee was always at practice when he came. Gaara didn't like him much, but he was sure it was because he didn't like the profession, not the person. He might have been a nice guy had he not been there to poke and prod at his arm.

He was getting more and more used to the stitches. Wrapping them in plastic during a shower, cleaning them with a wet cloth. They had itched at first, a bit. It still felt odd when he ran his hand down his arm. The doctor had told him he took good care of the wound. He had also scheduled a day for them to remove the stitches. Soon it really would be nothing but a scar. He knew if he continued to care for it, it might one day completely disappear.

He didn't regret his decision. He never regretted things. Plus, that decision in particular had led him to this current state of comfort. Everything happened for a reason. But Gaara did know one thing, he never wanted to do something like that again. He had no need to, it'd be foolish. He'd been foolish. He wasn't going to be foolish anymore. If not for himself, for Lee, maybe even for his siblings. He wasn't the kind of person who didn't learn from his mistakes.

What would tomorrow be like? Even though they lived together they had never even spent a whole afternoon together. Lee worked long hours on the weekends and spent the weekdays in school or at practice. It'd be a good chance for them to just 'hang out' as other kids their age put it. Gaara had found he really enjoyed Lee's company, even when they had nothing to do or say. Just being around him was enough to put Gaara in a better mood. He was determined to find out why that was. He hoped he would understand it soon.

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

Before the rock throwing begins, let me explain. This is the first part of what was to become chapter 8. But 'chapter 8' is reaching page 50. So you're getting this baby chapter and then, when I'm finally done with it, you'll get the monster known as chapter 9. Gawd, I do not doubt that chapter 9 will be at least fifty pages on it's own... I'm sorry this chapter seems no good, it's just something for you to munch on until I'm done with the next gigantic chapter. That'll be a chapter you can really sink your teeth into! So I'll work hard on the valentines day chapter, I promise! ((I've been working hard on it for awhile now. I even tried to write some of it during my out of state vacation... I have a job, too... Damn KFC!)) Lo siento mucho, mis amigos!


	9. Part 9

Chapter 9

Lee hadn't set his alarm, so when he woke up and the sun was already bright in his room he immediately sat up, feeling like he was late for something. He remembered he didn't have practice. He also noted that the television in his room was on and the top of a very read head was just visible on his couch. He turned towards the clock so he could see what time it was. It was only seven. Their school didn't start until eight thirty.

"Good morning." Lee said to the person who was obviously Gaara. Only Gaara had hair that red and only Gaara would come into his room while he was asleep to sit on his couch and watch TV.

"Morning." Gaara greeted, his usual response. He didn't feel the need to add the 'good' because the morning was always good for him. He had always liked how quiet it was. He realized this made him a morning person. An unusual trait for and insomniac. But if one thought about it, the early morning and the late night were surprisingly similar.

Ever since he'd gone through his 'change' Gaara had grown accustomed to doing more 'normal' things. Like listening to music, he particularly liked some of it. A lot of the popular songs ate away at his brain cells, but he'd found music he liked after awhile. He'd also started watching television. He hadn't liked it before, even as a kid. He still didn't enjoy it very much. He thought it might be like music, he just had to find something he enjoyed.

"Channel surfing again?" Lee prompted, noticing the flicker of the screen after every couple of minutes. Lee was busy putting on a shirt. Sometime during the night he'd removed his shirt and had been sleeping in just his sweatpants. He felt a little embarrassed that Gaara must have seen him sleeping sprawled out like that with no shirt on. He hoped he hadn't been paying attention when he came in. Though he knew Gaara was always paying attention. Gaara was almost too perceptive.

"Yes." Gaara finally answered after flipping the channel for the umpteenth time. He still had trouble with deciphering a lot of the television lingo. He wasn't surfing at all, he had told Lee the first time he'd asked. Lee explained that it was used when someone wasn't watching anything in particular but was watching a little bit of something then changing the channel to something else. He also told him that this term was used with the internet. Surfing the web, to be precise. Even though there were no webs or surfboards involved.

After finding his plain white shirt he'd gone to bed in and putting it back on Lee looked for an outfit for today. He always took a quick shower in the morning, sometimes two, since he almost always showed before and after training. Lee grabbed a shirt and pants before walking over to sit on the other side of the couch, his clothes in his lap.

"Find anything good?" Lee asked as he sat down. The couch wasn't that big, it could probably fit three people at most. Only two cushions. Did that make it a love seat? Lee didn't know. It was a couch to him.

"Not really." Gaara answered as he changed the channel once more. "Everything on this morning has been particularly boring."

"Probably all Valentines Day specials." Lee offered, knowing that most shows would be about love being in the air and all that. Lee knew any of them would be hard for Gaara to bear.

"I already took a shower, so you can go ahead and use it." Gaara stated after another minute. He'd noticed Lee's clothes the instant he'd sat down. Gaara was pretty much ready for school. Of course, he'd been up for awhile now. He'd actually come into Lee's room because he liked knowing that he was in the same room as him. Gaara had gotten so used to being so entirely alone that it was odd for him to feel lonely. So he couldn't say it was because he was lonely. It just felt right. He liked just having someone else around. Though, he doubted he could have put up with anyone besides Lee.

"Ah, thank you." Lee remembered to say as he got up to go to the bathroom. "I won't be long" He assured Gaara. Their time together would start now. They'd never actually gone to school together. Come to think of it, Lee didn't even know how Gaara got to school. He probably had a chauffer or something. Did Gaara have his license? Lee hadn't known he knew so very little about Gaara. He just knew the unusual information; he didn't know the things people normally knew about the person they lived with. Lee was ready to learn, though. Eager, even, to learn all he could about Gaara.

Lee made sure to take a quick and cold shower. He had quick showers down to an art. He was out, dry, dressed, with hair and teeth brushed all in under fifteen minutes.

"That looks good on you." Gaara commented from the couch as soon as Lee emerged from the bathroom. He'd given up on television for the time being and had shut it off.

Lee blushed in response. "Thanks." He muttered, Gaara didn't scold him but Lee knew he wanted to. Lee didn't think he looked good in anything, really. He had barely even looked at the clothes when he picked them out. He wore a striped brown, white, and blue shirt with brown cargo pants. He usually wore his shirts loose but this shirt was fitted. Maybe that's what looked good? He was reminded that he hadn't been the one to pick out any of these clothes.

"We should go eat breakfast now." Lee stated as he walked towards Gaara. Gaara didn't even nod in reply but got up from the couch and headed towards the door.

Slowly the house was becoming familiar to Lee. At least, the way from Gaara's room to the kitchen or the front door was. He'd finally completed the map a couple of days ago but that didn't mean he was confident enough to try and find things on his own. The map was a bit hard to read for him. He could follow it, but he didn't like the idea of taking a wrong turn and being lost. It was also a good excuse to ask Gaara to come along with him whenever he wanted to wander around. He almost dreaded the day he would memorize the layout well enough so that Gaara would leave him to go on his own. Though, thinking of it that way made him seem like a baby bird leaving the nest. And that was all kinds of awkward when thought about with him and Gaara in that context.

"The weather is supposed to be nice today." Gaara recited at random.

"Did you see a bit of the news?" Lee asked, knowing that must have been the case. What little television Gaara did watch he asked or commented on. Gaara nodded, having stated that just because he could. Was he initiating a conversation? He didn't quite know. He liked talking about nothing with Lee. Usually he only liked hearing the key points in a conversation but he found himself commenting on unimportant things with Lee. Another thing he assumed came with the whole friendship deal.

"That is good, maybe we will explore the backyard a bit today, then." Lee commented. Smiling. He only knew the backyard was very large and had a nice pool, from what he could see from the windows of other rooms. They had yet to venture out there yet.

"Great idea." Gaara replied, but with no real gusto. Though, he had to admit, he did like his backyard for one thing. There were lots of trees, and he could hide away back there when the weather was nice. When he was there he was gone without ever really leaving home.

"I have a feeling that this will be a most splendid day." Lee chirped, almost too happy. He didn't know why he was feeling so merry and buoyant all of the sudden, but he was. He really did feel like this would be a most wonderful day. And that wasn't even because it was Valentines Day. He had never disliked the holiday, but it had never his favorite.

They approached the dinning area and went into the kitchen. Lee was becoming accustomed to preparing his breakfast in the glamorous kitchen. When he set his bowl of cereal on the counter and took the spoon offered to him by Gaara their fingers brushed just a little. Lee's happiness increased, for reasons unknown, just the simple contact made him tingle with joy. Even in his mind he noted that he sounded a bit too gay, in both senses of the word.

"Why do you feel so strongly that today will be 'splendid'?" Gaara finally asked after taking his third and final bite from Lee's cereal.

"I guess I am just looking forward to spending time with you." Lee replied honestly. Gaara looked at him pensively before throwing his spoon in the sink with innate grace.

"Good. So am I." Gaara answered, setting his elbows on the table and placing his face on his hands. The view into the backyard from the kitchen was one of the best in the entire house. Gaara knew he was drawn towards more desert type things and had an affinity for sand, but that didn't stop him from admiring trees. The ones in his backyard in particular.

Lee polished off what was left in the bowl almost too quickly, setting the dirty dishes next to the sink. "It does look very nice out there." Lee turned towards Gaara. "I do not think there is one flaw in this entire estate." Lee commented, fully believing in his statement. Gaara shook his head.

"It's too big. Way too big." Gaara retorted, knowing this was a major flaw in the house's design.

"Usually I would have to disagree, but…" Lee paused thoughtfully, "I have to say that this house is much too big for just you and your siblings."

Lee never liked to think there was anything wrong with something. He liked to think everything was always the best it could possibly be. But he would admit that the Sabaku residence was ornately large, too large for just three, or four counting himself, people to live in. Lee couldn't imagine how lonely it would be if he didn't always hang around Gaara in the house. It must have been a terrible loneliness for Gaara. Lee remembered what Gaara had said about providing for him forever. He could finally understand why. He would have done anything to get rid of that loneliness, too. Though, Gaara probably didn't realize that he had been lonely. He just recognized that it was better now that he wasn't alone.

Slowly, without talking about it they headed back towards their rooms. They had to get their school things before heading out. The day already seemed longer to Lee. But not in a bad way, in a sort of pleasant easy going fashion. Gaara felt like time was going by faster, since the morning was always long for him when he spent it alone. With Lee there he hadn't noticed the time slip pass him.

"Gaara." Lee said, after thinking for a bit.

"Yes?" Gaara replied, finally getting used to Lee addressing him before he spoke even though no one else was there.

"Well, I was thinking about the time you said I could live here with you for a long while…" Lee started, and he couldn't keep the red off of his face for some unknown reason.

"Ultimately it's your choice. But it's always an option." Gaara interjected during Lee's nervous pause.

"I know, and I think…" He paused again, blushing a bit more, "I think I would like that, if it is okay with you, of course." Lee never wanted Gaara to be so terribly lonely again. And if Gaara found someone else he wanted to spend time with Lee would have no problem moving back out with the money he was now saving. But for now he really liked the idea of them living together, as they were now, for at least a few more years. Maybe even through college. Though, Lee doubted Gaara would be able to put up with him for that long.

"It's all right with me." Gaara replied. "I'm the one who suggested it." Gaara paused before adding; "I had thought you'd dismissed the idea already." After another pause he quickly muttered, "I'm glad you haven't."

If there was one thing Gaara was getting worse and worse at while he was around Lee it was articulating himself. He didn't talk very much to begin with, but he usually found it easy to say what he meant. Except nowadays, when he was around Lee. His sentences came out awkwardly and in the end he was never really sure if he made his point clear or not.

"There is nothing I like more than spending time with you, Gaara." Lee confessed, smiling a bit too shyly.

It was at this point in time that they both realized that having a conversation like this on Valentines Day was considered romantic. They realized it in their own sort of way, but they both realized it. Had there been any outside listeners they would have thought very incorrect things.

Lee decided to change the subject. "By the way, Gaara, how are we going to get to school?"

"How would you like to arrive at school?" Gaara questioned back, Lee knew he'd asked the question wrong. He still needed some practice at asking the right question to get answers out of Gaara.

"I mean, how do you usually go to school?" Lee tried again.

"Via modern transportation." Gaara answered. "Sadly I don't have the stamina to run to school every morning like you do." Lee had worded the question incorrectly again. Gaara didn't realize he was being difficult. He answered whatever he thought was best fit for the question asked. Usually the question was such a mess that he didn't dignify it with a response. People thought he was rude. He thought those people were idiots. On average both assumptions were correct.

"Do you drive?" Lee asked. He thought a simple question might work.

"Yes, and I usually drive myself to school in the morning." Most people were shocked by this answer, though Gaara didn't see why. He thought his driving skills were impeccable, especially considering the fact he was technically a teenage driver.

Lee mentally raised his arm in a victory pose for finally getting the correct answer. They were at the end of the hall. Silently they went into their rooms to grab their books and things.

"Do you have your license?" Gaara prompted as soon as they were both walking down the hallway again.

"No," Lee immediately answered, almost too readily. "I have never needed it. Plus I thought that I would never have the money for a car." Lee, when he thought about it, knew he had barely been inside a car. It was a bit awkward for him to admit, it being the age of cars and such, but there were about six distinct instances he could recall of ever being in a car. He had a small fear of cars due to his inexperience.

"I don't think I could imagine you driving, anyway." Gaara said, smirking a bit to himself.

"Are you saying I am not fit to drive?" Lee asked, always one to rise to the challenge. And it sounded as if Gaara was challenging him.

"No, it's just hard to picture you behind the wheel of a car." Gaara answered, that self-satisfied smirk still barely visible on his face. He liked riling up Lee.

"Well, I cannot imagine how you see anything over the dashboard." Lee retorted, polite by nature but not one to back down from a fight. Even if they were just teasing each other.

"That was a low blow, Lee." Gaara remarked. "Not everyone can be six foot eleven."

"Not even I am that tall, Gaara." Lee commented. He tended to stay in the six-foot area, give or take an inch. Lee was tempted to say 'You are just that short.' But he refrained. That'd be too rude, even in a showdown.

"Whatever." Gaara ended the battle with one word, though it had been fun while it lasted. As they were walking Lee tried to remember where the garage was located. He remembered Gaara pointing it out, though they had never gone inside. It happened to be near the front door.

And it was huge. "Woah…" Lee uttered after Gaara had opened the door. Forget three car garage, this was a five car, three motorcycle garage. And all the spots were filled.

With deft grace and without even looking Gaara picked a set of keys off of the key hook near the door. When Lee looked at the spot where the keys had come from under the empty hook it said 'Gaara' in elegant writing. Temari and Kankuro's keys sat neatly in place.

"Which one?" Gaara asked, with the same inflection that someone would have if they were asking what kind of pizza the person wanted. One can tell how rich someone is by his or her car. All of the cars screamed at the top of their lungs 'disgustingly rich'. Lee, not used to cars in general, was most definitely not used to fancy expensive cars.

"Which one do you normally drive?" Lee asked, knowing that asking which one was his was the wrong thing to ask. He'd state that they were all his if he wanted them to be.

"This one here." Gaara replied as he hit a button on the key ring. The lights of a sleek black car with red racing stripes flickered. It was a Camaro, but Lee couldn't tell. He was still gazing in awe at the tiny device that had controlled the car from a distance. In theory he'd known that was possible, but he'd never witnessed it first hand.

With the click of a hidden handle Gaara had the trunk open and had thrown his stuff in, motioning for Lee to do the same. Lee carefully placed his things beside Gaara's, who shut the trunk the instant Lee's hands were out of the way. Gaara was already getting into the car before Lee made his way over to his door. When it came to vehicles Lee felt like a real klutz.

Gaara was seated with the keys in the ignition and the garage opener pressed before Lee opened his door. Lee shut the door and awkwardly began to put on his seat belt when Gaara started the car. Lee jumped a bit at the engine's roar and let go of the seat belt, which hit his arm on its way back to its original position. Lee quickly recaptured it and shoved it into place.

"You okay?" Gaara asked after witnessing Lee's blunder. Lee quickly nodded.

"Yes, I am f-fine." Lee answered, though he hadn't meant to stutter. Gaara had heard his stuttering. Lee knew he shouldn't be nervous in cars, they were a lot like buses. He'd taken buses plenty of times before. And as he had remembered earlier, he'd been in a few cars before. Though, it's always been a bigger and older sort of junky car. Gaara could be socially inept while Lee was technologically inept. That's just the way things had to be.

"Relax." Gaara said quietly as he reached for his sunglasses on the dashboard. He was almost exuberant to have found one more thing he could help Lee with. Or, he might go as far to say that, he'd found something that Lee feared.

Lee's idea of relaxing was grabbing tightly onto the door's armrest. Which only made him accidentally hold down the window button. This resulted in the window rolling down on what seemed like it's own accord. Lee let go of the door and scooted a bit away from the window. Gaara sighed as he rolled up the window with the controls on his side while putting the car in drive, since the garage was finally open.

With his sunglasses on Lee thought Gaara looked almost seductive. Though he knew he shouldn't use words like that to describe Gaara. But he drove so easily, with grace, class, and a certain charm. Lee could see why he had all those fangirls. Though, Lee wasn't much better nowadays. He often daydreamed about Gaara, which wasn't good. And in a way all that he really was, was Gaara's biggest fangirl. Without the being female part.

Lee wanted to say something, to start a bit of conversation, to break the silence and stop himself from day dreaming about Gaara again. But he could not think of a single thing to say. Well, he could think of things to say but none of them were any good. 'This sure is a nice car' was one of them. All Gaara would say to that is 'Yes, yes indeed it is' or something of that sort.

Plus, Lee didn't want to start a conversation with Gaara only to learn that Gaara was one of those people who couldn't talk and drive at the same time. Lee doubted that this was the case but it stopped him from asking any stupid, pointless questions nonetheless.

The school was close, but the drive was unbearably long. With stop lights and such impeding them Lee felt as if he should get out and just run to school. But he wanted to spend this time with Gaara, even if he was afraid of cars.

"Are you afraid of cars?" Gaara asked, and Lee felt that Gaara must have smelled his fear or something.

"I do not like to admit it but y-yes." Lee stuttered on the last word, turning crimson with embarrassment.

"It's not that uncommon." Gaara replied, and it was almost as if he were trying to comfort Lee. But of course, Gaara would never do that. He was just stating the facts.

"So you do not think that is weird?" Lee asked, his smile returning. He would have put it on full wattage but the car still made him nervous.

"No." Gaara said, and after another minute he added. "Cars kill and injure people. Often. I think that it's a very rational fear."

Even though Gaara thought this might support Lee's standing and confidence in himself it just reminded Lee that he was in a metal death machine. His breathing became irregular. And now he was sweating. He felt sick and wondered if he could be carsick. He knew the car was definitely the source of his ill feeling.

"Calm down." Gaara said, surprised that he'd actually said it. He wasn't usually the one to help others. Though, he did make a mental note to find a way to make Lee less wary of cars. It'd cause him problems in the future if he didn't.

"Ok." Lee replied, regulating his breath first. It wasn't hard once he thought about it. He was so glad Gaara was helping him. He would have been hyperventilating by now if Gaara hadn't interrupted his train of thought with reason. Lee closed his eyes to focus.

Lee was surprised to find that they were in the school parking lot by the time he opened his eyes and Gaara was pulled into his parking spot already. Lee felt his body become less tense as Gaara shut off the car. His smile easily came back to him.

"It is not so bad." Lee commented, unbuckling his seat belt.

"Yes, but I still can't imagine you ever behind the wheel." Gaara replied, smirking as he put the sunglasses away.

Lee just nodded, knowing that he'd probably never get a drivers license, and if he did it wouldn't be for a long time. He opened his door and got out of the car, waiting at the trunk for Gaara. Lee didn't know how to open it and he didn't feel the urge to try and learn.

Gaara locked the car after they'd gotten their things and he'd shut the trunk. After shoving the keys into his pocket they made their way towards the school's entrance. The people that saw them arrive together did not help quieting the rumors about them. Even though those rumors are true it is still gossip and gossip is wrong.

"I am sorry if I am a burden." Lee said nervously, still feeling rather embarrassed of his tiny episode.

"No, not at all. You're… interesting. That's the best way to put it." Gaara replied. He wasn't one to be supportive, yet here he found himself supporting. But wasn't that his secret goal, to help Lee? He was doing it, and he suddenly felt a bit proud of himself.

Suddenly Lee was tackled from the side by an orange, black, and blonde blur. "Lee! You can't just go around coming to school in the same car as Gaara! People are so suspicious already!" Naruto said in a hurried and rather loud whisper.

"Good morning to you, too, Naruto." Lee replied after they'd both righted themselves.

"Morning." Gaara greeted, though he was a bit confused by Naruto's sudden entry.

"Hey, hello Gaara!" Naruto replied, his surprise in being greeted obvious.

They continued their way towards the school, still being somewhat in the parking lot and all. "You guys really don't try to hide anything, do you?" Naruto sighed as they approached the school.

"Are we supposed to be hiding something?" Gaara finally asked. The way Naruto had been talking to them for a while was confusing Gaara.

Naruto just sighed again before continuing, "And here you both are, acting so suspiciously on Valentines Day. You're just asking for it." This wasn't an answer to Gaara's question, and when Gaara asked a question he liked it to be answered. So he turned to Lee.

"Are we supposed to be hiding something?" Gaara repeated, tired of the question already. Lee, even though he didn't know what to say, felt obligated to answer.

"Well, you see Gaara, some of our peers would think that our living arrangements are rather peculiar." Lee said this quite slowly; he put unneeded emphasis 'arrangements' and 'peculiar'.

"Why do we care what they think?" Gaara questioned immediately.

"I know you do not care, Gaara, but," Lee paused, "it is not so easy for me." Lee felt a little ashamed of his answer. If Gaara didn't care why should he care? But he did care, he tried not to but he did.

"No one else matters." Gaara said suddenly. "No one else should matter."

"Of course, Gaara." Lee replied, not knowing what else to say. Gaara was right, it shouldn't matter. "I will remember that next time."

"Uhg," Naruto finally complained, "You guys really sound serious. Don't tell me it's true and you guys are going to spend Valentines together or something."

"Actually, we are spending today together." Gaara stated. Naruto gave him a look of disbelief and what Gaara thought was a bit of disgust.

"Say it isn't so!" Naruto exclaimed. He looked towards Lee to see if he'd disprove this horrible reality. Instead Lee just nodded.

"We decided it would be nice to spend the afternoon together." Lee replied innocently.

Naruto sighed, again. "Just don't go around saying things like that, okay you guys?"

"Of course." Lee replied, Gaara just shrugged. Who was he going to tell? Lee was the only person he talked to and he already knew.

"All right, I'll see you guys later." Naruto said before heading off in his own direction.

"I need to go to my gym locker, would you like to come?" Lee asked, knowing he needed to drop off his gym bag first. He felt weird, since he was actually just using the bag for gym class and not practice.

"Sure." Gaara had nothing better to do, he already had his books and their first hour wasn't too far away from the gym anyway.

They walked through the halls and across the campus not speaking, but not silently. Because the school was always abuzz with noise, and today particularly, so nothing could be done silently. The faded banners and cliché decorations were already falling down or being torn at by students sick of love. Some students were just plain lovesick and chased around the one they pinned after relentlessly.

It wasn't until they were almost at the gym that Lee began to notice they were being followed. A couple of shy girls, ducking behind people, trees, or walls whenever Lee casually looked back, were following them. Well, he shouldn't say 'them' he should say 'Gaara.' But the girls were too nervous to approach with Lee around, it seemed, though Lee didn't know why. He liked to think he was a very approachable guy.

"Gaara, I believe some girls are following you." Lee whispered casually over to Gaara, who shrugged in reply.

"I'm glad you're here to keep them away." Gaara replied, and he felt the urge to grab Lee's hand or link arms with him to scare the girls off. But he didn't. Just walking next to him seemed to keep them away.

Lee was going to tell him it was his duty as a gentleman to talk to those girls even if he felt nothing towards them but stopped himself. Gaara wouldn't listen to him and he didn't want to get on bad terms with Gaara this early in the morning anyway. Hopefully they'd give up and find someone else to give their valentines to. At least, Lee hoped they'd find other people to have crushes on.

They went into the gym and into the boys' locker room, where the girls most definitely couldn't follow them. There was little to no one else there, only a few weight lifters getting ready for class after a little morning practice. Lee went to his locker, Gaara trailing behind, and opened it. At the bottom of the locker was a tiny folded note. A Valentine.

"Look, you've got a secret admirer." Gaara teased a bit. What was even funnier was that they were in the boys' locker room, so it must have been a male.

"No, it is from my coach, Mr. Gai. He gives me one every year." And sure enough when Lee opened it the note said:

My Dear Student,

Have a most beautiful and youthful Valentines Day this year!

May it be the best one yet.

-Mr. Gai

In the middle of the note a heart was drawn with what was presumed to be a drawing of the coach himself. Gaara smirked at this.

"See? That is the only valentine I get every year. And it always says the same thing." Lee sighed. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate his coach's efforts, he did, but he wanted a real valentine, at least once in his life. He didn't expect it from Gaara and he didn't expect to fall in love with the person who gave him said valentine. He just wanted to know that other people thought him worthy of a valentine. But it hadn't happened yet and he doubted that it would ever happen.

"That's all right. I don't even read mine." Gaara replied, and it was true. Usually when he went to his locker on Valentines Day it was full of little folded notes or store bought cards. He wasn't so heartless as to throw them away right there. He would shove them into his bag so he could recycle them later. Many people would have never guessed that Gaara had a soft spot for the environment.

"But Gaara!" Lee was astonished and he turned to face Gaara after he'd shut his locker back up. "Those girls probably put their hearts into those cards! The least you could do is read them." Lee looked at Gaara for a second before realizing that he'd been shouting. "I am sorry for shouting." Lee quickly added, but he didn't look away. He really believed in love and thought himself a defender of true love and justice.

"All right." Gaara said after a long moment. "I can see you're really passionate about this." Gaara didn't like using the word 'passionate' but it fit.

"What?" Lee responded, surprised to have elicited a response from Gaara.

"We'll read them. Together." Gaara stated, determined this was the only solution.

Lee didn't think that was what the cards were meant for, but at least they would be read instead of just discarded. "Thank you, Gaara." Lee replied smiling.

"You have no reason to thank me." Gaara retorted as he turned to leave. Lee was quick to follow and they walked towards their first class together. The first bell rang while they were on their way there, and students slowly but surely started to make their way to their first class of the day.

"Good morning, Lee, Gaara." Their teacher greeted as the came in. "Nice to see you on time for once." Mr. Izumo commented to Lee, who gave a shy smile in response.

They sat in the back next to each other in the seats they had grown accustomed to sitting in. But Gaara's desk was already occupied by a couple of small heart shaped cards. There was no seating chart but Gaara was a creature of habit. He feared that this would happen all day. He didn't see why it happened to him, but girls would pass out valentines in every class to a select few of students and somehow he always managed to make their list. Remembering the promise he made with Lee he shoved them into his backpack for inspection later on. He promised to read them. He didn't specify where or when.

"Is it like this every year?" Lee asked.

"Yes, for the past few years." Gaara answered, almost sighing the answer out.

"I had not noticed it before." Lee answered, knowing it was because he hadn't wanted to notice it before. Lee would never let it get out, but when it came to Gaara he was the jealous type. His heart hurt with every valentine given to Gaara, but it helped to know that he was the one Gaara wanted to spend time with. He had succeeded in befriending him. And that's more than any of those girls could hope to accomplish in their lifetime. Lee's spirits were brought up by this thought and he knew he could make it through the day with a smile on his face, no matter how many girls gave Gaara their affections.

The late bell rung and Mr. Izumo shut the door to the classroom. "Before study hour begins…" he started and waited until he had everyone's attention before continuing. "Where are all of my Valentines? My desk is looking a bit lonely."

At first there was a moment of silence, followed by a few nervous laughs, then a bunch of amused giggles. It was hard to tell if he was kidding or not, but he was smiling so everyone else smiled. After the tiny bit of laughter he went to sit in his desk and type away aimlessly at his computer, signaling for the class to begin.

Gaara finished math homework while Lee worked on a study guide for a test in science. They had both come to enjoy the quite presence of one another in this class. Gaara didn't like talking where so many people might be listening anyway. Today was no different, though Lee knew he was more aware of Gaara's presence than ever. But he knew that was a personal thing. Gaara was just going through the day as if it were any other day. Lee kept trying to will himself to forget today was Valentines Day. It was hard, though, with all of the reminders posted around the school.

While thinking about how he was not thinking about Gaara, Lee knew he couldn't keep stealing glances at Gaara, or anything of the sort. There were only so many ways you could casually and accidentally glance at someone. Lee ran out of ideas after only a short while.

"Do you need something, Lee?" Gaara asked, having noticed every one of Lee's glances. Lee turned red as soon as the question was asked.

"No, it is nothing." Lee responded, smiling to cover his nervous embarrassment. He couldn't help it; he felt each and every one of his urges stronger than before. The urge to just smile at Gaara was the hardest to suppress for him at the moment. Press their hands together, touch his hair, it was getting ridiculous. He was convinced something was in the air, but it felt more like teenage hormones than love.

Lee managed to focus on his packet enough to get it mostly completed by the time the bell rang. Which was remarkable, considering how distracted he was.

"I'll see you later." Gaara quietly stated as they made their way out of the classroom.

"As always." Lee replied smiling as they turned their separate ways in the hallway. Their arms had brushed as they walked out the door and Lee could still feel the tingling sensation through his clothes. He was way too aware of Gaara today, he decided, if their arms brushing up against one another was enough to make him giddy.

Lee, luckily, wasn't the only student unable to pay attention in class that day. It seemed like it was an epidemic, the kids in the classroom staring off into space with romantic daydreams playing in their head. Some teachers gave up, but most picked on any student who seemed to be uninterested in the slightest. Lee was called on more than a few times, which made him blush and stutter an answer that was only sometimes correct. At other times it was completely off topic.

"Lee! What did you get as your answer for this equation." The teacher would suddenly ask.

"Charles Dickens was trying to tell a little bit of his own life story through the main character in Great Expectations." Lee would reply with a blank but attentive look on his face.

"What? That makes no sense!" The teacher would respond.

"Oh, I am very sorry, I was thinking about the review guide in English. I got seventy-four for number thirty-two." Lee would say after shuffling through a couple of papers piled onto his desk.

"Still wrong, but a lot closer than your other answer." The teacher would remark before calling on a different student.

He gave answers like that more often than he thought he could live through. And this was all before lunch. He didn't want to think about how disoriented he'd be when he shared a class with Gaara. That was just asking for trouble.

By the time he made it to the table he and Gaara now shared he was completely exhausted. And he usually could run quite a few miles without breaking too much of a sweat.

"You forgot your lunch again." Gaara stated, smirking as he brandished Lee's lunch from his backpack. It was more than halfway full of pink and red cards. They threatened to fall out as he took his own lunch out and zipped it back up.

"Thank you! I had completely forgotten." Lee answered, and it was true. He'd been thinking that at this time he'd get to see Gaara. He had completely forgotten about eating lunch.

"I figured. You seem distracted today." Gaara replied, absently taking the little bits of food out of his lunch bag.

"To be quite honest, I am." Lee remarked, knowing he should always respond honestly to Gaara's statements. Usually Gaara's statements contained unasked questions.

"Why?" Gaara asked, taking a small bite out of rather large strawberry. Lee had to swallow the first thought that came to mind and his face turned a little pink without his consent.

"I am excited for our afternoon together." Lee answered. It was the truth, their being together really was why he was distracted. But it was only half true. He wasn't lying, he just wasn't telling the whole story.

"So am I. School has been more uninteresting today than usual." Gaara commented. Lee thought that if anyone else in the world were to have received as many Valentines as Gaara had, they most definitely wouldn't have called Valentine's Day boring. Lee just nodded, though, knowing that for Gaara it was probably more problematic than interesting.

Lee quickly ate his lunch, finishing before he had even figured out what it was. He couldn't even remember what kind of sandwich he'd eaten. He was distracted, and it was bothering him. A lot. Gaara finished what little he'd packed for himself.

"I will throw away the garbage." Lee said as he gathered the trash from their table to take it to the nearest trashcan. He really had no idea what to do, though he knew he didn't need to be doing anything. He should be doing what he normally would do. Which was what he was trying to do. It wasn't supposed to be hard, but it was.

Lee turned around to go back to the table to find his seat occupied. He didn't know what to do, the girl seemed bent on giving her homemade chocolate to Gaara. He approached, but he stayed a couple of tables away. He could hear a bit of the conversation.

"I worked really hard, and I'd be honored if you just tried it." He could only see the girl from behind, but with that voice he knew it was Matsuri. He tried to look casual next to the nearest tree. It didn't work; he looked very much out of place. He thought maybe he should go over there but that would be even more awkward. So he waited where he was.

Gaara finally answered, but Lee couldn't hear it of course. Gaara talked much too quietly.

"Couldn't you at least take it with you?" She pleaded, it was obvious Gaara hadn't shown any interest in trying the chocolate. Lee could hear Gaara's voice but couldn't make out the words. Even from here, though, what he said seemed unforgiving. A death sentence for her heart. Lee wanted Gaara to grow a heart and at least take the chocolate. But there was nothing he could do. Luckily Matsuri was a bit stronger than that. Her voice was uneven, but she wasn't near tears as others might have been.

"It's okay, I understand…" She said, so quietly Lee barely heard. She didn't make a move to leave, though.

"Lee!" Lee heard it, but he couldn't believe it, Gaara had shouted at him. Lee turned to face him, blushing a bit. From the way Gaara was looking at him he knew Gaara wanted him to come over there. Immediately.

"Yes, Gaara?" Lee said, quietly, unsure of what to do. He smiled at Matsuri, who made an effort to smile back.

"Try this." Gaara ordered, pointing at the chocolate Matsuri had been offering to him.

"I could not, it is a gift from the heart for you, Gaara." Lee answered, actually disobeying Gaara. He couldn't, though. Not right in front of Matsuri.

"Matsuri." Gaara said, which got her attention and brought up her spirits immediately. She could not remember another instant in which he had addressed her by name. It meant he knew her name. "If Lee tries the chocolate for me, won't that be better than it going to waste?" Gaara questioned, and she nodded. At that point she would have nodded at anything he said. She then broke off a piece of the chocolate heart and handed it to Lee.

Lee looked from Gaara to Matsuri and back to Gaara. Then he nervously grabbed the chocolate and put it into his mouth, aware of both of them watching him intently. It was good, at least as good as expensive store bought chocolate, if not better.

"How is it?" Gaara questioned, though for some reason Lee thought Matsuri should've been the one to ask.

"It is very good, Gaara." Lee answered, not sure if he was addressing the right person. But Matsuri smiled anyway.

"Thank you for the gift, then. If Lee says it's good, it's good." Gaara stated, his voice the same as it ever was, but it still didn't seem as if he were really talking. Matsuri's smile brightened and she inclined her head in a formal gesture before leaving their table, butterflies inhabiting her entire body. She felt very happy, even though it had been a little weird as far as gift giving goes. But Gaara had thanked her, complimented her, and remembered her name. She was sure that was more than any of the other girls could've hoped to accomplish.

Lee sat down in his now unoccupied seat, still feeling a little out of place. He gave Gaara a warm smile, though, suppressing his urge to lift him up in a bear hug. Gaara had changed so much; Lee wondered if Gaara realized how much he had changed.

"That was very nice of you, Gaara." Lee commented, unable to stop himself from saying something.

"I guess. It got her to leave." Gaara said, uninterested.

"But you could have gotten her to leave some other way." Lee replied, still giving Gaara the warm smile.

"No, not really." Gaara answered, looking off into the distance.

"What do you mean?" Lee asked, a bit confused.

"That girl…" Gaara paused, finding it hard to articulate himself once again. Only with Lee did this ever happen. "She never leaves, usually. No matter how many times I tell her no."

"So this happens every year?" Lee questioned.

"Yes. But this year we got her to leave. She's been doing it for quite a while now." Gaara answered. Getting her to leave with Lee around had been easier than he had anticipated. And everyone was happy. A beneficial decision for all of them.

"Well, I am glad that-" Lee was cut off by the bell ringing, after it was done he continued, "you did that. She seemed very happy."

"That doesn't matter." Gaara replied as he got up and started towards the school. Lee quickly followed.

"Why does it not matter?" Lee asked, he wasn't following Gaara's train of thought.

"She was in your seat. I wanted her to leave. If making her happy makes her leave, so be it. But that doesn't matter to me." Gaara stated, and it was the truth. He had changed, but not so much that he wanted to make others happy and what not. He had just begun to say things that weren't so harsh, not so rough or rude. But it was mostly around Lee.

"Thank you." Lee said. Smiling. Gaara didn't know what he was thanking him for, but decided not to question it. He took that smile with him, though, as he turned to go his own way. He liked holding onto Lee's smiles. Lee smiled all of the time, but Gaara believed the smiles he received from Lee were different somehow. Better. No, the ones he got were the best. And he kept them all for himself.

Lee was glad to have physical education this hour. It didn't require much thinking. And thinking wasn't something he thought he could do right now.

"Lee!" Mr. Gai greeted exuberantly, approaching Lee as soon as he had entered the locker room. "Did you miss not having practice this morning? I sure did. Everything is much more boring without my star pupil around." Gai gave Lee a manly slap to the back, making Lee flinch a little, but his smile was as bright as ever.

"My legs feel anxious since I have yet to run at all today, Mr. Gai. I am very glad to be here now!" Lee replied, hoping to get in as much practice as he could in this one class period.

"All right then, go dress out! Today we're going to the track!" Gai announced, getting exhausted sighs from most and a gleeful yes from Lee.

Lee went to his locker to grab his uniform to change into when he spotted the present he had bought Gaara and shoved into his bag. 'I will give it to him after school.' Lee thought to himself. He wouldn't bring his bag with him to class so he'd have to remember to come here after class to get it. He might even wait until they got home, where there weren't so many witnesses.

But it shouldn't matter, Lee reminded himself, if there are other people around or not. He should give it to Gaara when the time is right. It wasn't like he was giving him chocolates and roses or anything. It should be easy.

As soon as Lee was on the track, running, he felt at ease again. He paced himself, so he could run the whole hour, but he was still in front of the others. And he felt like there was nothing but him and his thoughts. Running made everything seem easier. Everything felt right. If he just kept running everything would turn out all right. That's how he felt. It was the closest he'd ever get to flying, and sometimes he felt he might just sprint off into the sky.

It was cut short. Mr. Gai was announcing they had to go back to the locker room sooner than Lee would have liked. Lee lagged behind, finishing the lap around the track he was on before heading out. Gai waited for him.

"So how has your day been going so far, Lee?" Mr. Gai asked, winking at the end of the statement. It took Lee a second to realize he meant how was it going with his 'special person' he'd asked the day off for. Mr. Gai did not know it was Gaara. Mr. Gai knew Lee wanted to befriend Gaara, but Lee couldn't even tell Mr. Gai his true feelings.

"It has been going very well, thank you." Lee said, smiling as he wiped the sweat off of his face with the back of his hand.

"I'm glad to hear it! I hope it only gets better!" Mr. Gai replied and as Lee went to his locker Mr. Gai gave him one more manly slap to the back before going towards his office.

Lee smiled warmly at the thought of his coach caring so much. He really was the only father figure Lee had ever known. Lee quickly changed out of his uniform and into his clothes, trying to wipe all of the sweat off of himself before leaving, since the bell had already rung. He left his gym bag in the locker and hurried to his English class. Coincidently Lee arrived at the classroom at the same time as Gaara, and with a smile he held the door open for him.

"Hello Gaara." Lee said merrily. Gaara nodded his head a bit in greeting before Lee slipped into the classroom behind him, shutting the door just as the bell rang.

"Take your seats." The teacher said, waiting until everyone was seated before beginning. "All right, who's ready for a pop quiz?" The teacher received a unanimous groan in reply. "Good thing I didn't have one planned." The teacher responded, smiling. A few students laughed, a couple more shouted their approval, and others just sighed in relief.

"Okay, then. Instead I want every single one of you to write me at least a page, front and back, of your most interesting love experience. Don't have one? Make something up. As long as I get a page front and back you get credit. But if one person doesn't complete the assignment then I will make a pop quiz and you'll all have to take it. Understand?" After the teacher was done explaining the assignment the kids all nodded in approval. It was an easy assignment, especially since they weren't being graded on content. "If you finish early you can talk, change seats, whatever. Don't make a mess and don't ask me any questions." The teacher went to sit behind their desk, glad to be giving them a break and receiving one in return.

Lee had no idea what to write. He thought maybe he should just make one up since he didn't really have any romantic experience of his own to write about. He thought a fairy tale story would be nice. But when he tried to think of a name for the princess all he could think of was 'Princess Gaara' and this was awkward, of course, because he was the knight in shining armor. Not only that, but it implied Gaara in a dress. Lee blushed at the thought of Gaara in an elegant gown, probably red and black, with lots of layers and lace. He literally shook his head, trying to erase the picture from his brain so he could focus. Maybe a fairy tale wasn't the best idea.

Gaara sat and wondered if he should write anything. He didn't really care if they had a pop quiz, that'd be easier for him than this. But he decided he really didn't feel like getting the whole class angry with him. Usually he wouldn't care, but… Well, he didn't like to disappoint Lee, to tell the truth.

'Love is irrelevant…' Gaara started, writing down whatever came to mind first. His new views on friendship vs. love, why people shouldn't obsess over others, and a few other things he couldn't remember writing once he was finished. But he filled the paper requirements, with his small scrawled handwriting.

Lee finally just decided to write about what he thought love should be like. Not too much different from what Gaara was writing about, but he didn't know that. Lee's paper began a bit differently, though…

'Love is everything. The reason for one's life, and in every decision we make love is taken into consideration…' He went on to talk of the beauty of love, how if one was committed to finding their one true love they would, and so on. The antonym of Gaara's paper was Lee's paper. They were finished at about the same time. Both stood to take their papers to the teacher and almost ran into each other as they set their papers onto the pile.

Lee wanted to ask if he could read Gaara's paper before he handed it in, but decided against it. Gaara was thinking something along the same line, but diminished the thought. Maybe it's better that they didn't end up reading each other's papers.

Gaara sat back down in his assigned seat, though they weren't required to, and Lee took the empty seat next to him. Not before asking if it was unoccupied, of course.

"I hope class ends soon." Lee commented as he looked towards the clock. Not too much longer, about twenty minutes. He'd taken longer writing than he'd thought.

"Why?" Gaara asked, turning to face Lee, his chin already rested on his hand. Lee mimicked the gesture and placed his chin on his opposite hand, facing Gaara with a soft smile.

"Oh, no real reason." Lee replied, thought he was happy to just sit here with Gaara.

"No, you have a reason." Gaara retorted, almost smirking. Lee's smile just widened.

"Yes, I guess you are right." Lee answered, "But you know the reason."

"Stop it!" Naruto said suddenly, waving his hands in front of their faces. Then he took a seat on the floor in-between their desks.

"Hello, Naruto." Lee greeted, Gaara just stared. He almost glared, but wasn't quite there yet.

"You two…" Naruto sighed, shaking his head. "Lee, you can't go around making lovey dovey faces at Gaara all of the time!" Naruto shouted in a whisper, which was a bit useless.

"I was not aware I was making any sort of face at Gaara." Lee answered honestly, smiling at Naruto, amused. Naruto ran a hand through his hair before replying.

"Yeah, just don't do it again." Naruto stated.

"How? I do not know what I did wrong." Lee replied. He knew Naruto was getting frustrated, but he also knew Naruto wasn't really angry. Plus, he needed to waste the rest of the class somehow.

"You…" Naruto was grinding his teeth already, "You know what you did. Don't lie!"

"Lee doesn't lie, Naruto." Gaara interjected, receiving a surprised glance from Naruto.

"No fair, you can't gang up on me like this!" Naruto complained, Lee continued to smile, and Gaara gazed at him indifferently.

"You are not under attack, Naruto." Lee replied.

"Sure feels like it." Naruto pouted. Crossing his arms and everything.

Lee gave up on Naruto and smiled at Gaara again, feeling like he could laugh at nothing he was so happy.

"There! You're doing it!" Naruto waved his hands in front of Lee's face as if that could stop the face from being made.

"Doing what?" Lee questioned.

"You know what! Making faces at Gaara." Naruto answered, almost shouting. He really wasn't helping to quiet the rumors.

"Did I make a face at you, Gaara?" Lee asked.

"No. You were smiling." Gaara answered.

"See? I was not making a face." Lee told Naruto. "I smile at a lot of people."

Naruto sighed again before mumbling, "Not like you smile at Gaara…"

"He's right." Gaara replied, still giving them a blank stare.

"I am?" Naruto asked, smiling brightly at his unknown genius and looking at Gaara hopefully. Lee waited, since he could see that Gaara wasn't finished.

"Mine are better." Gaara stated, though he didn't know if it came out right. He knew what he meant, and from the look on both Lee's and Naruto's faces they knew what he meant, too.

"Thank you." Lee replied, though he hadn't known he smiled differently around Gaara. He just knew that… that Gaara must have been his special person. That would explain it, but he couldn't say it aloud. He wasn't ready for that yet.

"Not you too, Gaara…" Naruto sighed once again, his smile having dissipated immediately. "Maybe I should just give up and go."

"No, it is all right, Naruto. You are trying your best to, um, help us." Lee tried to comfort, since Naruto was so quick to change moods.

"Help us?" Gaara questioned.

"Yes, he is trying to help us." Lee answered. Gaara shrugged in response, still not understanding it at all. Naruto confused him, but it was all right. It was amusing.

"You two need more help than retarded rats trapped in a circular room with their legs cut off." Naruto responded, smirking at his metaphor.

"That is…" Lee had no idea what to say to that.

"Morbid?" Gaara offered.

"Yes, I guess so." Lee answered.

"You're finishing each other's sentences!" Naruto thought he might lose it. He gazed at the clock desperately. Not much time left, he was thankful to whatever deity it was that would let him break free of this mess.

"Do we do that often?" Lee asked Gaara. He really hadn't noticed it before.

"I don't think so." Gaara answered, though he was uncertain himself. Maybe they did, since neither of them seemed to find it odd.

"I hope not." Naruto interjected. Really, he could do everything in his power to try and stop the rumors but if they went around finishing each other's sentences… It'd be hopeless. It already seemed pretty hopeless.

Gaara and Lee claimed to be just friends. And they were, it was the truth. But for two high school boys to be living together, spending their free time together, and having such a big effect on one another… Plus Lee had saved Gaara's life. And neither of them had ever had girlfriends to prove that they were straight. Gaara was always turning girls down; Lee was unaware that he wasn't hideous. They weren't dating, going out, or anything of the sort. But any outside party would have assumed they were. Sooner or later they'd have to start dating just because it was already assumed by everyone that they were.

"So Naruto, do you have any plans for today?" Lee asked politely, Naruto made a disgusted face in response.

"I hate Valentines Day. Just a bunch of bullshit if you ask me." Naruto looked off gloomily for a moment.

"Are you just saying that because you do not receive any valentines of your own?" Lee questioned, but he didn't mean to be cruel, he really wanted to know.

"You could always have some of mine." Gaara offered. His backpack was filling up fast. He believed this year was setting a new record. Maybe his injury gave him sympathy points? In that case, he didn't want the valentines at all. Pity is a grotesque emotion.

"I'll have you know that I do get a good amount of valentines each year." Naruto retorted, a little bit offended. Why would anyone assume he didn't get valentines? That wasn't why he didn't like Valentines Day. He had his reasons.

"Oh, I almost forgot, there are quite a few girls who like you. Is Hinata still the most persistent?" Lee asked, remembering how Hinata used to shyly visit the orphanage to see Naruto when they were really young.

"I guess, at least she's the veteran. The rest come and go." Naruto answered.

"Does that one guy still hit on you in your study hall?" Lee asked, remembering how Naruto used to complain about how that guy would always tease him about his penis.

"Nope. Not since I socked him in the face." Naruto replied, displaying a victorious smile. He felt better ever since he'd punched that douche bag Sai in the face.

"Hey Lee, you still a valentine virgin?" Naruto teased.

"Mr. Gai's cards do not count, so yes, I suppose I am." Lee answered. He frowned for a moment; both Gaara and Naruto caught it.

"Hey, don't feel so bad. I heard Sakura's been looking for you all day." Naruto nudged Lee from where he was and winked. Gaara was suddenly completely absorbed in their conversation. Of course, he didn't let it show, but he was.

"Really? I did not think I was that hard to find." Lee replied, though his face had a faint shade of pink to it now.

"You know what I mean. She's probably going to approach you after school." Naruto was proud of his information gathering skills.

"How did you find this out?" Lee asked, a bit disbelieving. He had liked Sakura for the longest time. Not that he liked her like that now, but it still seemed too incredible to be true.

"Ino can't shut up about anything and even you know it." Naruto replied. Lee gave a small nod of affirmation. He didn't realize he was blushing; even if was only a little bit.

Gaara, having felt it once before, recognized that he was jealous. Jealous of someone with Lee, once again. Lee made him feel things he would have never imagined feeling before. But his being jealous was making him angry. He shouldn't need to be jealous. He knew who Lee was going home with. Who Lee would always be going home with. No one was taking his newly acquired 'friend.' Not now, not ever. Gaara realized he was possessive. He didn't care.

"But Naruto, I thought her and Sasuke had finally had a breakthrough." Lee wasn't too sure. He'd stopped keeping tabs on Sakura a while back when he'd finally given up on her ever liking him in return.

"Well, let's just say she found out what a real jerk that guy is. Though, I've been telling everyone what a real bastard he is all along, just no one listens to me." Naruto explained.

"Oh." It was all Lee could manage to say. He was very confused by his emotions at the moment. And if it weren't for Gaara's quiet presence right there next to him he might have been lost. But he knew better. He had already decided that he was not going to let anything come between Gaara and himself. Anyway, he still doubted Sakura would really approach him. There were plenty of other guys she could have turned to after leaving Sasuke.

The bell rang suddenly; they'd all forgotten they'd been waiting for it. Naruto quickly said goodbye and went to gather his things. Lee grabbed his bag before joining Gaara out in the hallway. Seeing someone ahead in the crowd with a gym bag he remembered he had to get his own bag.

"I am sorry Gaara, I forgot something important in my gym locker. Should I meet you by the car?" Lee asked, trying to give Gaara his best apologetic smile.

"Do you remember where it is?" Gaara asked.

"Yes." Lee replied, smiling.

The smile is what made Gaara nod his head in approval before walking towards his own locker. He needed his math book to check some problems. There were the last of the little cards waiting for him. He shoved them into the book and made his way towards the parking lot.

Lee quickly headed for his gym locker. He didn't want to keep Gaara waiting. Also, he was a bit afraid of running into Sakura. He knew he wouldn't lose his resolve, but he rather not turn down his first real valentine.

Though, he still ended up talking to his coach for a little bit, Mr. Gai seemed to be so proud that he was finally blossoming in the springtime of his youth. Lee thought it would have broken Mr. Gai's heart had he known Lee was really spending the time with Gaara. Lee didn't lie to him; he just didn't say the whole story. He was doing that more than he would have liked nowadays.

After he grabbed his bag he decided going past the track would be the fastest way to the parking lot. He did not expect to see Sakura there waiting for him. And once they'd both seen each other it was too late to run. Lee hoped Gaara would forgive him for being late.

"Sakura! Long time no see." Lee said nervously, mustering the kindest smile he could. Sakura had been sitting on the bleachers so he walked towards her, and she stood up to greet him.

"Hey Lee. I had hoped to catch you during practice, but you're not dressed out. Are you skipping today?" Sakura asked, casually, looking much more comfortable with this than Lee was.

"Yeah." He said chuckling a little bit, trying to seem less nervous but failing miserably. "Mr. Gai let me have it off. Since it is a holiday."

"You usually train twice as hard on holidays, Lee." Sakura teased, moving her head to the side a bit. Lee had forgotten how nice her short hair looked on her, it moved with her, making every movement of her head a statement. He smiled in reply.

"You are right. I guess I decided today would be a little bit different." Lee replied, trying to stay vague.

"That's good, you need a break." Sakura stated, shifting her weight. There were little things that showed that she was nervous. But she hid it a lot better than Lee.

Lee felt he should say he needed to meet someone, because it was true, but he didn't. He didn't know what to do. Sakura finally broke the silence.

"Lee, I've got something very important to tell you." Sakura started, smiling as if they talked like this everyday. Lee nodded in reply, now his face was so warm even he noticed it.

"I think I really like you." Sakura looked him straight in the eyes as she said it, though she blushed a bit herself. When he didn't say anything but instead fumbled for words she continued. "And since you're not doing anything tonight, maybe we could try going somewhere together." She smiled, and Lee could feel himself melt for that smile. But he couldn't. He had plans. Plans with Gaara.

"I have plans already, I am sorry." Lee finally managed to say, looking down so that his hair covered his eyes.

"With a girl?" Sakura asked, knowing the answer must have been yes. She had just assumed Lee was free. She'd forgotten he was better looking now than he gave himself credit for. That must have been why he was skipping practice.

"No, actually." Lee finally replied, shaking his head. He was surprised to look up and see Sakura sighing with relief.

"Then how about a different day? I don't mind going with you after you're done with practice." Sakura said, still in control.

It was around this time that Gaara approached. Unnoticed, of course, and he stopped short so that they wouldn't see him. He'd left the car after throwing his things in it and waiting for about a minute. He was a pretty impatient person. He'd started his search while Lee had still been talking with his coach. Gaara reached the locker rooms after Lee had left and the coach had told him Lee had headed towards the track. Now Gaara was here, but he couldn't go forward. From where he was he could see the back of Lee and the front of the pink haired girl through the bleachers. They couldn't see him, even if they were looking; he knew he was just out of sight. He didn't think he should be spying, but he rationalized it by telling himself he'd been looking for Lee and had found him. Now he was waiting for him. He couldn't really hear them, so he wasn't really eavesdropping either.

Lee shook his head, since he couldn't find the right words to say. "Sakura, I do not think I can." He was stuttering a bit, his face still flushed and he couldn't find the courage to look at her.

"Lee." Sakura said softly, putting her hand on his chin so she could make him look at her. "I was stupid before, I'm sorry. But I think I might really like you, I want to at least try this." She was slowly coming closer, and Lee didn't really notice but Gaara did. Gaara couldn't move. He couldn't hear the words but he knew that tone of voice.

"Sakura…" Lee started, but he didn't know what to say. She put her finger to his lips to quiet him before moving in. She slowly lifted herself to kiss Lee, moving away after only a moment. She smiled softly, Lee's face was completely red and he was hiding his eyes under his bangs again.

Gaara saw her move in, he had heard the wet pop their lips had made when they separated, and now the school had become so quiet he knew he would be able to hear whatever came next. Though, to his surprise, he saw it first.

Lee placed his hands on Sakura's shoulders and stepped back, holding her where she was so she couldn't move towards him. He was still looking down, so she couldn't see his eyes. This was enough for Gaara. He didn't want to see anything else. It was obvious what was next. He didn't need to hear Lee break her heart. He didn't want to hear Lee say anything of the sort, even if it wasn't to him. Gaara went back the way he came, deciding to wait in the car.

"Sakura, I c-cannot." Lee stuttered. He wasn't any less red and still couldn't look at her.

"What do you mean?" Sakura questioned, losing her cool. Her voice cracked.

Lee finally looked up at her, the tears in his eyes now obvious. They broke free and ran down his cheeks. "Sakura, I do not want to hurt your feelings." He said, his own voice very unsteady. He was vaguely aware that he was crying, but it wasn't something he was ready to explain.

"Lee, are you all right?" Sakura asked, and she couldn't even imagine crying now. She was too shocked to see the tears she should have been shedding on Lee's face.

"Yes, Sakura, I am sorry." He answered, moving his hand off of her shoulders and wiping the tears off of his face with the back of his hand.

"It's okay, I'm sorry." Sakura apologized, she didn't know what for, though. Lee was crying for her, because he didn't want to hurt her. She understood that. She didn't understand why he had to turn her down.

"You do not have to be sorry, Sakura." Lee replied, smiling a bit at her to show he was okay.

"Let's sit down." Sakura suggested and Lee nodded. They sat on the bleachers next to Sakura's bag and Lee set down his own bag. He had to go meet Gaara, but first he had to explain himself to Sakura. Lee actually hoped Gaara would grow impatient and leave because he didn't want Gaara waiting all this time for him.

"I should explain." Lee started, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

"No, it's fine." Sakura replied, though she did want to know she didn't need to know. Lee shook his head.

"You deserve to know." Lee stated, and then went on before she could say anything more. "I cannot go out with you now because…" He paused, but kept going after a moment, "because I have found my special person, and I cannot let anything come between us." Lee's face was slowly turning red again.

"Can you tell me who she is? Because she's very lucky." Sakura asked, feeling a little sad, but even more curious.

"It is not a she, Sakura." Lee said after a long moment, blushing even more.

"Oh." Was all Sakura could manage to say in reply. She thought to herself that all the good men in this world were gay.

"I have never told anyone about this before. If I tell you, can you promise not to tell anyone else?" Lee asked, more nervous than ever. Sakura deserved to know, he told himself.

"Of course. I'm not out for revenge on you for breaking my heart." Sakura replied, smirking.

"I am sorry, Sakura." Lee apologized once again. Sakura shook her head.

"Don't worry about it." Sakura stated, and Lee sighed with relief.

"Thank you." Lee said, now able to smile like he had before. He felt a lot less nervous now that he had Sakura's forgiveness.

"There's no need to thank me, Lee." Sakura replied, and for a moment Lee thought of Gaara saying words similar to those to him before.

Lee took another deep breath before his confession. "My special person is… Gaara." Lee's face was as red as it could get and he tried to gulp down his nervousness. He acted as if he was saying this to Gaara himself!

"I should have known." Sakura said, smiling and almost laughing. She had dismissed all the rumors and had refused to let herself see how close Lee was to Gaara nowadays.

"What?" Lee asked, confused by what she had said. Why should she have known?

"It's the way you smile at him." Sakura replied, looking into the distance. She had thought about it, and it was true. "If you had smiled like that at me back when you liked me I would have fallen for you in a second."

"For real?" Lee asked, not believing what he was hearing. Sakura nodded. "Naruto said the same thing earlier." Lee added, and Sakura gave him a strange look. "Not the second part, the part about my smiling at Gaara." Lee quickly said, smiling a bit at the thought of Naruto saying that second part.

"Then it's not just me. I think you really have found your special person, Lee. I'm just sad that it isn't me." Sakura remarked, looking ahead into the distance.

"I did not know." Lee said, looking ahead at nothing, also.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"I did not know that I smiled in a different way for Gaara. I did not know that other people could notice it when I could not. And I did not know that you cared so much." Lee answered, the words coming easily to him now. He looked at her to find she had turned to look at him in return.

"It's fine, it can't be helped. There's other fish in the sea for me." Sakura said reassuringly. Lee smiled, looking away.

"I am glad. I think you could find someone better than me." Lee replied.

"That'd be pretty hard, but I'll try." Sakura looked away again, thinking that it was just bad timing on her part. It was her own fault, though. She shouldn't have been so obsessed over Sasuke for so long. She knew she could have had Lee if she hadn't waited so long.

"Oh!" Lee said suddenly. He had been looking into the distance, towards the parking lot, and saw that Gaara's car was one of the only cars left. "He is still waiting for me!" Lee quickly stood up and gathered his things. Sakura stood next to him.

"Who?" Sakura asked, looking towards where she thought Lee had been looking.

"Gaara. I had hoped he would leave me here and go home." Lee said quickly.

"So maybe he does like you, if he would wait this long to give you a ride home. And you live in the opposite direction of his house. He'd be going out of his way for you." Sakura said, smiling mischievously.

"No, not really. I am surprised he waited, though." Lee replied, looking around to make sure he didn't forget anything. He still hadn't given Gaara the present out of his gym bag so he made sure he had that.

"What do you mean?" Sakura questioned. Of course Gaara was going out of his way. Sakura knew for a fact that Lee still lived near the orphanage and the Sabaku mansion was on the opposite side of the city.

"Oh, I am living with Gaara now." Lee said, giving her a reassuring smile. She just looked at him in disbelief.

"So does that mean…?" Sakura asked, but she didn't know what to say. Was Lee already in a relationship with Gaara?

"No, we are, um, just friends." Lee replied nervously, having known what Sakura was implying by the look she had been giving him.

"Does he know?" Sakura asked, now grabbing her things so she could walk towards the parking lot with Lee.

"Know what?" Lee questioned in response.

"That you like him." They had been walking, but now Lee stopped.

"No, I do not think he knows. We are friends, and that is more than I could have ever hoped for." Lee answered. He had a look of pinning on his face and Sakura recognized it.

"You need to tell him." Sakura stated, looking at him, he nervously met her gaze.

"I do not think I can." Lee replied, looking sullen.

"I won't forgive you if you don't." Sakura said, giving Lee a small glare.

"What?" Lee said, shocked out of the gloomy mood that had been overcoming him.

"I won't forgive you for breaking my heart if you don't tell him." Sakura knew that if she said this Lee would be forced to confess his love. He couldn't stand when people were angry with him.

"I… I will have to then, Sakura." Lee replied, but he hadn't been ready for that. Now he'd promised to do the one thing he'd never planed on doing. Ever.

"Good, I'll see you around then." Sakura said smiling as she walked off to go her own way. Lee hurried to the parking lot, and when Gaara spotted him he got out of the car to open the trunk for him.

"I am so sorry for being late." Lee said as he set his things into the trunk. Gaara shrugged as he shut it and got back into the driver's seat. Lee followed and not so swiftly made it into the passenger's seat.

"I am surprised you didn't leave." Lee commented as he tried to get his seat belt on.

Gaara paused in starting the car. Why hadn't he left? "It hadn't occurred to me to leave." Gaara replied.

"Thank you for waiting." Lee said in response, smiling at Gaara, who then continued to start the car.

"I wouldn't leave you, Lee." Gaara stated as he drove the car towards the parking lot's exit.

"Thank you, Gaara." Lee replied, this one much more heartfelt. Lee loved when Gaara said things like that. It was the closest he ever got to romantic. Lee thought it was romantic sounding, though Gaara was just stating what he knew to be the truth.

"Would you leave me?" Gaara asked, his gaze on the road, his voice steady, yet Lee thought he sounded unsure of himself. Which was nothing like how he usually was.

"Of course not. Just say the word and I will stick by your side forever." Lee answered, smiling at Gaara even though Gaara couldn't look over at him.

"What's the word?" Gaara asked, confused, his non-existent eyebrows furrowed.

"It is a figure of speech, Gaara." Lee explained, wanting to chuckle at how socially inept Gaara was. Of course, he didn't chuckle. That would have been rude.

"Okay." Gaara replied. They sat in silence for a few more moments, the car's humming motor not bothering Lee as much now that they were talking.

"Still," Gaara started, "What do I need to say to make you stay, then?" It sounded romantic to Lee, even though Gaara had used the same tone of voice he always used.

"Nothing, I will stay with you." Lee answered, a warm feeling sinking into him. He knew Gaara was his special person, and it didn't matter to him if Gaara thought that he was his special person as well. He wanted Gaara to like him the way he liked Gaara, but he didn't need it.

"Good." Was all Gaara felt the need to say. There was silence again, they were stopped at a red light.

"I ran into Sakura after school." Lee stated.

"Oh?" Gaara replied, acting like he didn't know. He shouldn't have known.

"That is why I was so late, I am sorry." Lee continued. Gaara shrugged while keeping his hands on the wheel.

"What happened?" Gaara asked, knowing what had happened. But he needed to hear Lee say it.

"She…" Lee tried to start, but had to wait another moment to form the right words, "She told me she had feelings for me." Lee paused again before continuing. "I told her I had already found my special person, though. She understood what I meant and is not angry with me." Lee decided to leave the part about the promise out.

"Your 'special person'?" Gaara questioned.

"The person who… Someone who I…sort of like…" Lee was bad at explaining this particular subject without using the 'L' word. Lee believed that Gaara wasn't a big fan of the 'L' word.

"Love?" Gaara asked frankly.

"Yes. But it is more than that, I think." Lee answered.

"So who is this person?" Gaara casually asked. Lee blushed a bit in response.

"It is… a secret." Lee decided he'd go with that.

"You will tell me." Gaara stated. Lee's face gave away his nervousness. Luckily Gaara was focused on the road.

"Why must you know?" Lee asked, hoping to get around the subject sometime soon. He'd promised Sakura he'd tell Gaara about his feelings. He hadn't promised when. And right now was too soon.

"Because I need to make sure no one gets between us." Gaara replied curtly. He might have been a bit smaller than most guys his age but he could still punch someone in the face if he had to.

Lee had the urge to laugh, but didn't. "They will never come between us, Gaara, I assure you." He said, and had Gaara been anyone else he might have figured out what Lee was implying. Instead he just kept driving, content with Lee's vague answer for the moment. Gaara swore to himself that before the night was through he would get Lee to tell him who it was. He also promised himself that the person would never see Lee again if he thought they were a threat to their relationship. As friends, of course.

And then they were pulling up to Gaara's house. Lee still couldn't think of it as his own, really. It was like he was having a sleepover at Gaara's house that lasted forever. Gaara pushed the button to open the gate and then the button to open the garage door. Lee noticed that two of the other cars were gone. Temari and Kankuro must have already left to start their own Valentines Day celebrations.

"So, what are we going to do tonight?" Gaara asked as he turned off the car. Lee struggled with his seatbelt before answering.

"I do not know, I did not have anything in particular planned." Lee replied, looking at Gaara with an embarrassed smile on his face. He wasn't very good at planning things.

"All right then, we'll find something to do." Gaara said as he got out of the car and headed towards the trunk, opening it and grabbing his things before Lee finally stood next to him.

"Oh, I have something for you, Gaara." Lee remarked as he grabbed his bags out of the trunk. Gaara shut the trunk as soon as Lee's fingers were out of the way.

"What is it?" Gaara asked, turning towards Lee and holding out his hand, ready to receive whatever it was.

"Wait until we get inside." Lee responded, smiling as they headed towards the house and Gaara pressed the button to shut the garage door. As Lee opened the door to go into the house he saw a note attached to it and grabbed it. Gaara noticed this and took the note from him once he'd finished reading it over.

Dear Little Bro,

We sent the hired help home early today so they could enjoy their Valentines Day as well. You have the whole house for you and your boyfriend. We'll see you tomorrow.

-Your awesome siblings

Temari and Kankuro

"Well then." Gaara stated, crumpling up the piece of paper and throwing it in the nearest trash can. "You can cook, right?" Gaara asked.

"Of course, but it will not be as good as the food you are used to." Lee answered shyly. Gaara shrugged, knowing he didn't eat much anyway so it shouldn't affect him.

"It's odd to know that this whole house is empty." Gaara commented, looking around as if to make sure no one would pop out of nowhere just to contradict him.

"Yes, a little spooky, even. I would not want to be in this house alone." Lee remarked, Gaara nodded a bit.

"Well, I'm here so you'll never be alone." Gaara replied. There was a silence in which neither of them knew what to do next.

"Should we sit down?" Lee asked, motioning towards the living room to their left, Gaara shrugged but led the way into the room. Lee sat next to Gaara on a couch with a table in front of it. He set his gym bag down and reached into the front pocket where he'd been hiding Gaara's gift.

"I know it is probably a little awkward to give this to you, but I thought you might like it, so…" Lee rambled as he handed the small plastic bag over to Gaara. Gaara took it with one hand and stared cautiously at it.

"This bag?" Gaara asked after a long moment. Lee almost laughed, and his eyes glowed with the laughter.

"No, it is what is inside of the bag, Gaara." Lee answered. Anyone else would have felt foolish for having to be corrected but Gaara just proceeded to open the bag and take out the contents. Actually, content, singular, since there really was only one item. Unless you counted to packaging, then it would be multiple contents. Gaara was over analyzing things. He looked at the necklace.

It was a masculine necklace, just like Lee had wanted it to be. Two eastern style dragons intertwined around an impressive looking blade with their jowls forming the cross guard of the hilt. A thick metal chain with a simple clasp completed the necklace perfectly.

"Do you like it?" Lee asked, worried that he'd been foolish.

"Yes, it is very…" Gaara searched his newly acquired modern vernacular for a word to describe it, "Epic." He finally finished, happy with his word choice. Lee let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and smiled.

"Would you like me to help you put it on?" Lee asked after another moment, since Gaara hadn't made a move to do so himself. Gaara shook his head.

"No, I'll do it." Gaara replied as he shoved the packaging back into the bag and undid the clasp only to redo it once it was around his neck. He moved his hands away and it rested comfortably on his collarbone. He liked the cold metallic feel of it. He also liked the weight of it. He could be constantly aware of it.

"Thank you." Gaara said after a long pause. Lee blushed a little in response.

"You are welcome, Gaara." Lee replied shyly.

"I didn't get you anything." Gaara commented. He hadn't thought to get Lee anything, but now he felt as if he should have.

"It is all right, I do not need anything more from you." Lee responded, wanting to hug Gaara just for looking so adorable. But he shouldn't think things like that, he told himself.

"Anything more?" Gaara asked, confused. Had he already given Lee something?

"Well, you have already given me a place to live, and your friendship… I do not think there is anything I could want more than that." Lee replied.

"I'm sure there is something." Gaara muttered. Thinking to himself about what he could give Lee. He felt the sudden impulse that he had to give Lee something.

"What?" Lee asked, having heard him, but not ready to believe he'd heard correctly. Was Gaara wary of Lee's affections for him? But from Gaara's distant look Lee assumed he wasn't suspicious.

"Nothing. What do you suggest we do now?" Gaara responded, thinking that'd before the night was through he'd figure out who Lee's 'special person' and give him something that he wanted.

"We could go see the backyard, like we discussed earlier." Lee replied, offering an unsure smile. Gaara got up to leave, grabbing his things and the garbage from his gift.

"Very well then. Let's take our things to our rooms first." Gaara said, making his way towards the same garbage he'd thrown the note away in before heading down the hall towards their rooms. Lee fell into step next to him after he'd grabbed his things and caught up.

They walked quietly, their footsteps echoing throughout the empty house, it seemed. It only made the house feel more lifeless. Again Lee thought to himself that he would never want to travel through these corridors alone. He'd only ever made the journey from the door to his room and sometimes to the dinning room alone. And that felt like a worn path he could travel carelessly since he'd made the trip with Gaara so many times before. Memories carved a clear and steady path from one place to another for him. And he found that memories with Gaara left stronger impressions on the Earth, in his mind.

Gaara was still thinking of ways he could find out who Lee's 'special person' was and find out what it was that he wanted. Gaara knew there was something Lee really wanted. Gaara was paying attention to Lee even when he didn't realize it himself. He'd noticed a sort of look of longing on Lee's face once or twice. It always went as quickly as it came, but it was there nonetheless. Maybe the thing he wanted was this 'special person'. For some reason, just the idea of this person holding Lee's affections was aggravating. Gaara knew he shouldn't feel like that. Friends were happy for other friends who had girlfriends. He'd learned that much, obviously. But he felt different about Lee, and he hadn't figured it out yet.

Gaara figured honesty was the best policy. "Lee," he started tentatively, making sure he had Lee's attention before continuing. "Who is your 'special person'?" He knew he'd already asked, but he was really determined to get answer out of Lee. He didn't like guessing.

Lee hesitated for a moment, and only continued to walk after Gaara was visibly ahead of him. He caught up with him before saying, "I promise, I will tell you some day." Lee said, having been thrown off by the question being asked so out of the blue.

"Why can't today be that 'some day'?" Gaara asked, not understanding Lee's logic. If he was going to tell him eventually, why wait?

"Maybe it will be." Lee said quietly, satisfying Gaara for the moment with this answer.

"All right then, what is it that you want?" Gaara asked, his new question perfectly logical and well timed in his own mind. Lee was again stunned by the random question.

"More than anything?" Lee asked, ready to confide what he wanted, finally. But he was going to be vague about it. He'd become so good at making things vague. Because Gaara didn't quite get it if it was too vague. He was a very blunt person.

"Yes, I guess so." Gaara finally said, making Lee go on.

"For that 'special person' to like me the way I like them." Lee answered, blushing brightly. He was worse than any schoolgirl, he was sure of it.

"I'm sure they do." Gaara remarked, looking ahead indifferently, as always.

"What?" Lee asked, genuinely perplexed.

"The person you like. I'm sure they like you. Everyone likes you." Gaara answered.

"…Even you?" Lee questioned after a moment, trying to sound normal and self-assured. But neither of those two adjectives ever described Lee.

"Of course. We're friends, aren't we?" Gaara replied easily.

"Of course, Gaara." Lee answered, but for some reason he had to hold back a sigh. Gaara would never realize how he affected Lee.

They reached their rooms and before Lee went into his Gaara touched his arm to grab his attention. "Grab a jacket, it's probably getting cold already." Then Gaara headed towards his own room and Lee could feel his whole body hum once again. He was going to die of too much happiness eventually. If just that tiny gesture could make him so glad he could burst he didn't want to imagine what would happen if they ever kissed…

It was then, as he closed the door to his room, that Lee realized he'd already had his first kiss. Of course, he had noticed when Sakura kissed him, but the realization of it all was just now hitting him. It hadn't been the magical moment he'd always dreamed of. Actually, it had left him crying. He knew this was because he couldn't love Sakura, not that she was a bad kisser or anything. She'd tasted like flavored lip gloss, he could not have told you what flavor, though. But there was no chemistry, no magic, it was not as he had always thought a kiss should be. But maybe he was over thinking it, or his standards were too high. Still he wonder if with Gaara it would be…

He stopped that train of thought right there and quickly set his things onto his bed and grabbed a modest brown jacket. He couldn't go around thinking things like that. Thoughts eventually became actions, and he knew he shouldn't act upon thoughts like those. He open the door to go into the hallway and saw Gaara already in his jacket standing there, waiting. That's all he seemed to be doing today, waiting for Lee. He had suspicions that the night would continue to this theme.

Lee felt the urge to apologized, but stopped himself and just smiled warmly instead, hoping that would convey the message. It didn't, of course, but Gaara still took the smile for himself and started walking towards the closest door to the backyard.

"How big is the backyard?" Lee asked, but he knew it must have been large from what he'd seen through the windows.

"Very big." Gaara answered, the question seemed dull to him. "I don't know how big, exactly." Gaara added, and saw from Lee's face that his question was answered. Gaara knew the backyard was about as big as the house itself, at least. Full of trees, the trees made it seem even larger.

"Do you spend a lot of time there?" Lee asked, though Gaara thought it should have been in the past tense, since he hadn't spent much time there since Lee had started living there. Gaara had been a little worried that he'd venture into the backyard, lose track of time, and forget to have dinner with Lee. Lee was the only reason Gaara ever attended dinner.

"I did. I would go out there to clear my head." Gaara answered. He would go out there to sit in the trees, next to the trees, around the trees, knowing he was alone, but surrounded by life. It had been the only thing that could calm him. It wasn't the only thing, anymore.

"So it is really quiet out there?" Lee asked, killing time. Though he didn't like that phrase, killing time. It was too violent, and he didn't dislike time so much that he would ever think to kill it.

"Yes. You'll see." Gaara replied, knowing that the door up ahead to their left would lead them outside.

First off, there was an oversized patio with a very large grill on one end with lots of outdoor tables and chairs. A couple of benches were set against the outside of the house, overlooking the best part of the backyard. It looked like it might have hosted many outdoor parties, though Lee guessed that in reality it probably had only hosted a few. The patio was raised and level with the house.

Then there were a few stone steps leading to two pools, one a bit smaller than the other. Lee heard Gaara point out that one was a diving pool and the other wasn't very deep at all. Both were heated.

"Actually, we could go swimming right now, if we wanted to." Gaara stated, they were slowly walking towards the pools. Lee shook his head at this.

"Even if it is heated, we would freeze when we got out." Lee pointed out, though Gaara just shrugged. He didn't really like swimming, anyway.

The stonework around the pools was very detailed, and from what Lee could see the tile work continued into the pools themselves. A little farther away there was a gazebo looking structure. Lee couldn't tell what was in it from where they were standing.

"What is that, over there?" Lee asked, and Gaara led them towards it.

"It's a Jacuzzi." Gaara explained as they continued towards it. Two steps into a room like structure with a Jacuzzi built right into the ground. There were chairs set up around it, a couple of tables, and the controls were visibly mounted onto the wall. It was a bit warmer in there than it was outside.

"There's a heater built into the roof, so it could be used in the winter." Gaara explained, then turned to walk back towards the pool, though this time he faced away from the house. Lee mimicked his actions and they were staring into an expanse of trees. Lee looked from left to right, just making out the area where the trees ended and walls began. He could not tell how far back the trees went, though. And when he looked to the left he could also make out where the servants quarters were, since he'd been told where they were before. They would be empty tonight, he thought to himself.

Lee once again looked out towards the trees. "How far back does it go?" Lee asked, turning to Gaara.

"It doesn't really end. It's connected to the forest. A small fence marks where our property ends." Gaara stated, and Lee had to think about the city's layout in his mind. He knew there was a forest past here, but he hadn't known that Gaara's mansion was so close to it. Though, once he had the city laid out in his head he figured the forest was right after the area were Gaara lived. Lee had used the forest to train on his own back when he'd been younger, before the orphanage had allowed him to attend high school. He hadn't realized how close he had been to Gaara all that time. Of course, he hadn't known who Gaara was back then, anyway.

"So, it would be easy to get into your backyard through the forest?" Lee had to ask. It seemed like a burglar's dream. Gaara shook his head.

"No, not really. First, they would have to make it through the forest without getting lost to find this area. Then it might be easy to get into the forested area but the instant someone approached the house they would be caught on a security camera. The staff would notice them and escort them off the premises." Gaara explained slowly. It had happened maybe once or twice that Gaara knew of, and only because the staff had notified him later on.

Lee let it all settle into his head before asking another question. "So tonight, with everyone gone, we would be quite vulnerable?" Lee was not scared by the thought of a burglar as much as he should have been.

"Yes, I guess so. Though it's highly unlikely." Gaara replied. The thought of a trespasser almost excited him. He hadn't beat anyone up for awhile now, since middle school, he decided. Sometimes people underestimated him because he was not as tall as everyone else. That had always been their downfall.

"I would protect you." Lee stated after a long moment, almost throwing Gaara off. Lee had a determined look upon his face, he was serious.

"I don't need you protecting me, Lee." Gaara replied honestly, though Lee looked downhearted at this. Gaara quickly added, "Though it would be nice to have your support." Lee smiled again at this and nodded. Gaara was glad he had said the right thing. He meant it. He would never need someone to protect him, he wasn't that weak. But working together? Slowly he was seeing that, with Lee, it had its advantages.

"Let's go." Gaara said as he stepped into the grass, walking towards the trees. Lee quickly followed.

It was winter, so the sun was already getting ready to set in the west. The sky was only beginning to turn orange, but already it gave everything a soft glow that made it seem less real. Lee turned to look at Gaara as they walked. His hair was radiant in the colors cast by the setting sun.

"…Beautiful." Lee muttered, though he didn't realize he'd said it aloud until Gaara stopped to look at him. Lee quickly looked away, already turning pink.

"The trees. Your backyard." Lee tried to cover, Gaara only nodded in agreement.

"One of the only good parts in this whole damn estate." Gaara commented as he continued to walk. They were reaching the first trees and with only a few more steps they were completely surrounded by trees. After another minute Gaara suddenly turned around and Lee mimicked his actions. They were looking back towards the house, but by now it was only the vague outline of something through the trees.

"This is why I like my backyard so much." Gaara commented. Everything was distant, nothing seemed urgent. It was quiet in the sense that there were no outside sounds, just the sounds inside of the forest. Even though the trees were dead there was still a sense of life. Birds were getting ready to rest for the night. The light streaming through the branches wasn't very much, and soon they'd only have the moon and stars to help guide them.

Then Gaara turned back around and continued into the forest. Lee was quick to follow, as always. He was taller that Gaara but there were times when he felt like Gaara's shadow, following him wherever he went. Though, he was more like an obedient puppy, but that was a bit too embarrassing to admit.

Lee's curiosity got the better of him and he asked where they were going. Gaara had replied 'You'll see' quietly as he led them further into the forest. From the reds and purples in the sky Lee knew the sun was just about to set, but he continued to follow Gaara. Just when Lee thought the forest would go on forever they reached a small metal fence. Gaara proceeded to hop over it in one graceful move, like he'd done it many times before, which was true. The best part of the forest wasn't until after the fence.

"Is it much farther?" Lee asked after he'd hopped over the fence, unsure if he was okay leaving the Sabaku estate. It felt wrong, for some reason. But Gaara was excited, and he had a small mischievous grin upon his features when he turned towards Lee.

"No, we're almost there." Gaara assured him and they continued their game of follow the leader for a little while longer. Lee began to think he'd seen this all somewhere before, but decided it was just some weird déjà vu.

Well, until they reached a circular clearing that Lee was sure he recognized. Gaara stopped to look around at the trees before smiling, yes smiling, at Lee. It was a proud smile, like he was showing off something.

"It's the perfect place." Gaara stated as he faced Lee. Lee could only nod, wondering if he should share why he already knew this was the 'perfect place'. It had been his own perfect place, years ago.

"It's better when it isn't winter, though." Gaara commented and Lee nodded again. He knew it was best in the fall, when the leaves had just begun to change colors.

"How long have you known about this place?" Lee finally asked. Gaara just shrugged at first.

"A long time. I found it while running away when I was small." Gaara replied, almost nostalgic. He remembered running to this place to get away from his father. It was his haven, and he was glad to see that Lee appreciated its splendor. The way the trees were arranged around them, the almost cozy abode they formed… Better than anything manmade.

Lee debated on whether he should say anything. He'd only come here during the years after Naruto had been adopted and before he went into high school. A bad time for him, when physical exercise had been his only form of escape. He still had almost unnoticeable scars on his knuckles and a bit on his arms and legs. Though, one would have to be looking to find them. And one would have to know where to look on the trees to find their almost healed over scars, too.

Gaara, once he realized Lee wasn't going to comment, started to say whatever was on his mind. "It seemed untouchable by anyone else, until…" Gaara paused, looking at Lee to make sure he had his attention. Which he did, Lee seemed to be anxiously waiting for Gaara to continue. "Until about the time I was switching in and out of middle schools. I didn't have as much time to come here, but when I did the trees looked as if someone had been carving into them. For some reason, it hadn't bothered me as much as it should have." Gaara looked at Lee again to see his face turning a bit red. Was he getting cold? The sun was almost completely gone by now.

"I must confess, Gaara, it was me." Lee said quietly, stepping towards Gaara and looking at him.

"What?" Gaara asked, not following him.

"I should have said something, but I know this place. I used to come here when I was a bit younger, also. To train." Lee started nervously, smiling to try and cover his embarrassment. "The marks, those were from me." Lee continued when he noticed Gaara wasn't about to comment on his confession yet. "I would use the trees to practice. I did not think anyone would mind." Lee hoped Gaara did not mind.

Gaara let this thought settle into his mind. He didn't seem shocked to find that it had been Lee. Actually, he felt as if he'd been expecting it to turn out to be Lee. And he smiled at Lee. They were really alone together now, and Gaara felt no inhibitions, nothing to stop the smile from appearing. "It proves that we are… meant to be together." Gaara heard the words before he had even realized he was speaking.

The smile was perfect, it wasn't forced, it wasn't small and nervous or prideful or scornful. It was a small display of affection, Lee thought. A real smile. The only thing Lee had really wanted that he hadn't realized he wanted so much. The words were just the icing on the cake. Lee could feel tears welling up in his eyes for the second time that day. Only this time they were there in response to his happiness. His smile was bright and his eyes shown with words he couldn't say, as he looked at Gaara, unable to say anything in that perfect moment.

Only the moon and the stars illuminated the sky as Lee held Gaara as close to himself as he could. The movement from looking at each other to Lee embracing Gaara had happened as the last of the daylight slipped away. Gaara was confused, but not because he was being embraced. No, what worried him were the hot tears he could feel coming from Lee only to land on his neck and shoulder.

"Lee, don't cry." Gaara said, though his words were muffled by Lee's shoulder. Gaara turned his head to look up towards Lee. Lee moved one arm to wipe away his tears but used the other to keep Gaara where he was. Gaara was cold to the touch, but that only made Lee want to hold him more.

"You have given me something I wanted, Gaara." Lee stated after a few moments of silence. The tears were gone, but the happiness remained. Lee practically radiated with happiness.

"And what would that be?" Gaara asked, his ear pressed to Lee's chest. Gaara could hear Lee's heart beat even through his clothes. Lee was holding him, and it didn't feel weird at all. Gaara didn't feel the need to move away. The warmth that Lee gave him was a bonus, but not the reason he stayed as he was. No, there was something more…

"Your smile. I am truly honored." Lee said quietly, knowing that since Gaara was so close he would have no trouble hearing him.

Gaara hadn't realized he'd been smiling differently. He wondered if that sort of thing was contagious. But he'd given Lee something he had wanted, which completed part of his goal. Gaara thought to himself that he might as well ask the question one last time, since the third time is supposed to be a charm.

"Lee, who's your 'special person'?" Gaara whispered. Gaara felt Lee's arms tighten around him for a moment.

Lee knew it was time for him to say it. He would answer, the moment was right, and he didn't think it could get any more perfect. He couldn't have dreamed a better moment if he tried.

"He is right here, in my arms." Lee whispered in reply, smiling into Gaara's hair. Gaara still looked confused when Lee looked down at him. "It is you, Gaara!" Lee said through a chuckle, he couldn't help it. Gaara wasn't very good at figuring anything out when it came to romantic matters of the heart.

"Me?" Gaara replied incredulously.

"Yes." Lee answered, finally feeling sure of himself as he smiled down at Gaara.

"Are you sure?" Gaara asked, still not believing it.

"Very sure." Lee replied, still smiling.

"It's not some woman?" Gaara asked, he had assumed a 'special person' had to be female.

"No, it is not." Lee said, then added, "It is you, Gaara, I assure you."

Gaara rested his forehead on Lee's chest and smiled at the ground. Lee couldn't see how glad he was, not yet. Not even he was ready to accept how happy he was. Gaara finally moved his arms from his sides and clutched at either side of Lee's jacket, holding onto him. Lee kept his arms around Gaara's shoulders. It felt good, he thought to himself, to not have to hide his feelings from Gaara any longer. Though, inside he was shaking. The moment seemed too perfect, too unreal, for it to be actually happening.

Gaara was in a state of shock. He didn't know why he was smiling so much, it was starting to hurt his face. He wasn't used to smiling at all. He could not believe any of it for a moment. And for an instant he was back to his old way of thinking, denying it all, saying that it couldn't be real, this wasn't for him. But he shrugged it off, he wasn't a slave to his mania anymore. This was real. He could feel Lee's arms around his shoulders, he could feel and hear Lee breathing, he could feel the fabric of Lee's jacket in his hands.

"Are you sure?" Gaara asked one last time. He needed Lee to assure him again. He didn't accept things very easily. Especially when he was trying to accept something like this. If he was Lee's 'special person', that meant…

"I am sure." Lee squeezed Gaara's shoulders before adding, "What do I need to do to prove it to you?"

"Is this why you turned away that pink haired girl?" Gaara asked, answering Lee's question with another question.

"Sakura?" Gaara nodded into Lee's chest. "Yes. I told her I was already in love with you." Lee answered honestly, and Gaara stiffened at the word 'love'. Lee was nervous, he knew if he said the wrong thing he might ruin everything. But Gaara was normal again after only a moment.

"You don't have to prove anything. I…believe you." Gaara said quietly, the last two words had taken their time to come out and when he had said them they had merged together. Even Gaara had known how much Lee had chased after Sakura. Gaara had turned down countless girls, but that proved nothing because none of them had ever meant anything to him. If Lee had turned down someone who had meant so much to him for Gaara… Gaara moved his head so that half of his face laid on Lee's shoulder, so that he could be closer to him.

Lee didn't know what to say. He was too happy, but he didn't want to cry again. He felt like he'd wake up at any moment, but he knew he hadn't fallen asleep so this had to be real. He just stayed as he was, letting Gaara come closer to him, holding him as he did so. Gaara was the perfect height for him, Lee thought, the top of Gaara's head reaching just past his lips when Gaara stood up straight. If he faced towards Gaara he could kiss his forehead. Lee almost gave in and did it, but he decided he didn't want to ruin the moment. He was more than content, holding Gaara like this.

Gaara was content, his mind at ease, and he had never felt like this before in his lifetime that he could remember. Their surroundings were perfect, his home away from home, and it had once been Lee's, also. Lee had proclaimed him his 'special person'. But what did that entail? What was Gaara supposed to do in response to this? Gaara assumed that by being Lee's 'special person' Lee cared for him more than anyone else. He even… loved… him. Gaara didn't like the word. Too many negative connotations. And they were both men… did that affect anything?

"Is this okay?" Gaara asked suddenly, really wondering if it was.

"Is what okay, Gaara?" Lee asked, concern in his voice. He was worried that at any moment he'd loose all of this, and never have any of it back, not even Gaara's friendship. He never wanted to be a stranger to Gaara again.

"This. Us. Me… being your 'special person'. Is it all right if we're both male?" Gaara asked, though not because he had a problem with it. He pretty much knew he was homosexual, since he had no partiality for the opposite sex whatsoever. And he did have an inclination towards the same sex… at least, he had realized, when it came to Lee. But, again, he'd always thought Lee was a very straight person.

"Gaara," Lee started softly, stopping himself from turning towards Gaara. Because if he did he knew he would end up kissing his forehead, at least. "It is fine. It is not very uncommon, and I am okay with it. I have accepted it for a long time now." Lee replied, closing his eyes and tilting his head downwards as he held onto Gaara.

"Are you okay with it?" Lee asked so quietly that Gaara, whose ear was less then a couple of inches away from Lee's mouth, could barely hear it. Lee was so scared that Gaara would be freaked out by his affections.

"Yes. I think I want to be your special person, Lee." Gaara replied, the emphasis on 'want'. Because that was what was important. The fact that he wanted it. He did want it, he didn't want anyone else to be Lee's special person. And as Gaara accepted it he moved his arms so that instead of just holding Lee's jacket, his arms were now around Lee, his hands resting on Lee's back.

"What happens now?" Gaara asked, curious. He was Lee's special person, so what came next?

"Whatever you want. Nothing has to change if you do not want it to. We can go back to being 'just friends' if that is what you wish." Lee replied quietly. He didn't want to force Gaara to do anything. If Gaara wanted nothing more than to be friends than that's what Lee would have to settle for.

"Lee." Gaara almost growled, Lee had no idea what he had done wrong and stiffened in Gaara's embrace. "Don't be stupid." Gaara held onto Lee a bit tighter. They had come this far. Gaara had made it this far, and he wasn't turning back. He wanted this, and somewhere in his mind, he knew he'd been wanting this for a long time now.

Lee simply held Gaara a bit tighter in response. He wanted to hold him so tight that there was no doubt in his mind that he couldn't leave. "…Sorry, I am really nervous." Lee whispered, knowing that Gaara was right. He was being stupid, Gaara was holding him. Was that not enough to tell Lee that he returned his feelings? Gaara, the unapproachable, had willingly put his arms around Lee.

"Don't be nervous. I want this." Gaara replied after a moment. The embrace was comfortable and neither of them felt inclined to move.

"I want this, too." Lee said quietly in response. "Gaara, I do not know if you can imagine how happy I feel because of you right now." Lee whispered to him softly.

"It's infecting me, your happiness. I think it's been affecting me since you approached me on my birthday." Gaara replied. He didn't mind change anymore, not with Lee around. Lee tightened his embrace again. He didn't like to think of that day, he'd almost lost Gaara… Every time he thought about that day he saw Gaara in the ally, dying, that look in his eyes…

Lee turned to look into Gaara's eyes. They were completely different. Did he really do that? "It is hard to believe that was only a month ago." Lee commented. Gaara would have nodded, but he was too busy looking into Lee's dark eyes. He had never looked into Lee's eyes as he was right now. He had never looked into anyone's eyes like he was looking into Lee's right now. It was as if there was no iris, especially in this darkness. Yet somehow they were big and bright, and seemed to light up Lee's face. Gaara could see a perfect reflection of the night sky in Lee's eyes.

Lee looked into Gaara's eyes, finding that all of the pain he'd seen in them before seemed to be gone. With Gaara's eyes it seemed there was no pupil, the pure turquoise color surrounded by white. Gaara's eyes were always calculating, small, and they weren't almond shaped, or round, they were cat-like. The eyeliner and permanent bags under his eyes only accentuated this. Lee had never seen Gaara with his eyes wide open and could not imagine how he might look.

"Lee, I think that…" Gaara was just about to suggest something for them to do next when Lee's stomach protested. It made a quiet growl, Gaara could almost feel it rumble. "I think we should eat dinner, to start off."

Lee looked at Gaara with an embarrassed smile, blushing a bit. "Good idea." Lee replied, though they were slow to let go of each other. Gaara almost shivered with how much colder it was away from Lee.

They stood there for a moment, quiet until Lee shyly asked "May I hold your hand?" He felt so skittish now, excited but afraid to show it. He decided not to think too much about it, or it'd all slip away.

"If you must." When Lee took Gaara's hand it felt like holding a mannequin, cold, stiff, and completely unblemished. Lee knew how nervous he was, and could feel every part of him warm up, his face and his hands especially. He was afraid his hands would get sweaty and it'd be awkward, but luckily they just seemed warm. And in turn, they transferred their heat to Gaara's hand.

It was harder to walk back through the forest with their hands connecting them, but they both refused to let go, even when climbing over the small fence. Lee didn't want to ruin their time like this with words. The moon shone brightly, the stars were clear here, and it was perfect. Lee had thought his life couldn't get better and he was constantly being proven wrong. His heart was beating so fast he thought there was something wrong with him. He couldn't stop smiling.

"Lee." Gaara started quietly as the approached the mansion, Lee looked towards him as they walked.

"What is it?" Lee asked, but he still couldn't stop smiling so he couldn't really show his concern.

"I'm going to admit I don't get this." Gaara stated and Lee squeezed his hand softly.

"It is okay, I understand that you might not want to…" Lee reasoned, but Gaara interrupted him.

"No, I don't understand it, but I want this. So don't hold back on me. I will tell you if it's too much." Gaara finished, sorting it out as he walked. He had to remind himself that this was real. That he was really feeling like this. Someone was holding his hand and, he had to admit it, he liked it. And something inside of him knew he would change even more because of this. But change was becoming easier.

"Can I tell you I love you?" Lee asked, because he wanted to say it over and over again. The romantic in him wouldn't shut up about it.

"Don't do it too much. It looses it's meaning." Gaara answered. Lee opened the door and they walked in, still holding hands as they walked towards the kitchen.

"I promise to mean it each and every time I say it." Lee replied, but he could say it a million times and mean it every time, he was sure of it. But he'd refrain; he'd only say it when he really felt that he needed to.

Gaara knew Lee could say it quite often and mean it every time, because that's the kind of person he was. But Gaara didn't say anything else. There wasn't much else to say. This was different, and suddenly Gaara would feel like it wasn't enough, that there should be more to it. He kept going, despite his mental hesitation. His body seemed quick to disobey him and leave his mind behind.

After their long walk through the backyard the distance to the kitchen seemed miniscule. They were there in what felt like mere seconds. Lee let go of Gaara's hand to hold the door open for him.

"What would you like me to make?" Lee asked, letting the door close behind him. The kitchen seemed big and formidable now that he knew he had to cook something in it. He felt like he needed to impress Gaara, but knew he couldn't.

"I don't know." Gaara responded, looking at Lee blankly.

"Are you hungry for anything in particular?" Lee prompted, because he had no idea what he should make.

"I'm not very hungry at all." Gaara answered, because he wasn't. And he definitely wasn't hungry for anything specific. He knew he wouldn't eat much of anything, so he didn't request anything. "You should make whatever it is you want to eat." Gaara added.

"Well, I guess we should see what there is to make, then." Lee responded, moving towards the enormous pantry. Looking at all of the items in the pantry just intimidated him. He finally decided to go for something easy and familiar.

"How do you feel about stir-fry with white rice?" Lee asked as he emerged from the pantry with a bag of white rice. Gaara shrugged in reply, leaning against the counter.

Lee set the rice on the island and went to the refrigerator. Of course it was full, but since Lee didn't see any meat already defrosted he just grabbed vegetables. When he set them next to the rice he was relieved to find the cutting board already on the island. He saw the pans hanging from hooks and, luckily, it didn't take him very long to find a pot to cook the rice in.

Gaara watched as he set up, rinsed off the vegetables and cut them with a little bit of difficulty. He watched as Lee started the rice, as he looked for utensils to stir it all with. He watched him work over the stove as if he'd done it plenty of times before. Gaara thought it looked like Lee was making too much food for just the two of them, but didn't say anything.

Lee decided to use teriyaki sauce to cook the vegetables in, even though he didn't know what Gaara preferred. He could feel Gaara watching him but tried to continue like it didn't bother him. It didn't take long to fry the vegetables and he started to put everything else away as he waited for the rice to be done. He finished cleaning up and checked the rice; it only had about a minute left. He leaned against the counter, faced Gaara and smiled.

"Almost ready!" Lee proclaimed, giving Gaara a thumbs up as his smile gleamed.

Gaara decided he was done watching. He'd been thinking about something while Lee was cooking. He couldn't stop thinking about it. He walked over to where Lee was leaning against the counter; he could feel the heat from the stove.

"Lee." Gaara said simply as he stood in front of him.

"Yes?" Lee replied, though he thought Gaara was a little close…

Gaara didn't usually choose to do things too quickly. But this was an exception. Before Lee could do or say anything Gaara put his hands on Lee's shoulders and imitated Sakura's earlier actions. Gaara's first thought was about how soft the lips against his felt. His second thought was that he should close his eyes. He felt Lee move, felt the lips press back against his. Then he felt Lee slip.

Lee hadn't expected that, and at first his eyes had opened wide in surprise, but when he realized he was being kissed he closed his eyes and pressed back softly. Gaara's lips were dry, but Lee liked the feel of them. Lee lost himself in the feeling and the arms that had been supporting him slipped a little.

"Ow!" Lee yelped as he broke away from Gaara and almost fell. He had been standing next to the stove and when he'd slipped he'd burned his hand. Gaara took a step back so Lee could regain his balance. Gaara realized what had happened and looked at the way Lee clutched his hand to his chest with concern.

"Do not worry, I am all right. I burn myself all the time." Lee replied to Gaara's eyes. Remembering the food Lee quickly took the rice off of the burner and turned it off, since the rice was now done. He stirred it so it wouldn't be stuck to the hot sides of the pot and turned back to Gaara.

"Hungry?" Lee asked, smiling and blushing. He didn't know what to do now, other than blush. Gaara had kissed him! Who cares if he got burned a little? The pain was already far away.

Gaara didn't like the fact that Lee had gotten hurt, especially since it had happened at such a crucial moment.

"I'd like to try that again." Gaara stated, giving Lee an intense stare.

"What?" Lee questioned, though he knew just what Gaara meant and almost anticipated Gaara's movements as he once again placed his hands on Lee's shoulders. Lee closed his eyes as their lips met, and leaned into it, lowering his head so that Gaara didn't have to try so hard to reach his lips.

Gaara once again pressed his lips against the much softer ones before him. He felt them press back and closed his eyes, trying to memorize the feeling. He could feel something in him growing hotter as they stayed like this.

Lee slowly slipped his arms around Gaara's waist, pulling him a little closer. He could feel how hot his own face was, and it was only getting hotter. He felt warm all over, and when Gaara moved his arms to wrap around his neck Lee thought he might melt. They stood like that, enjoying the simplicity of their lips touching and bodies brushing up against one another. Gaara could feel Lee's smile.

Though, eventually they had to break away for air. They'd forgotten about breathing for a little too long and when Lee broke away Gaara realized just how much he needed air. Their breath was hot against their faces. They opened their eyes to look at each other, just breathing for a moment.

"I love you." Lee whispered all at once, still breathing hard. He smiled warmly; glad to still have his arms around Gaara's waist and Gaara's arms around his neck.

"I'll assume that means I'm much better than the pink haired girl." Gaara replied, smirking triumphantly. He had been wanting to see what would happen if he kissed Lee, to see if he'd get a better reaction than Sakura had. This was much better.

"W-w-what?" Lee stuttered, blushing even more. The blood was rushing to his face so rapidly he felt light headed. Or maybe the kiss had made him light headed?

"I saw you two earlier. She kissed you and you pushed her away. You didn't push me away." Gaara smirked again. "In fact you're still holding me."

Lee was too shocked to say anything at first. "So, you saw all of… that, earlier?" Lee finally asked. Wait, if he'd been spying on them that would've meant he'd already have known about…

"No, I walked up as she was asking you something. I couldn't even hear either of you. I saw you break away from her and left. I had only gone to look for you. I decided I could wait instead." Gaara explained plainly. Lee inwardly sighed in relief, even though he'd already confessed his feelings anyway.

"So?" Gaara prompted after a moment.

"'So' what?" Lee asked, not understanding what question he was supposed to be answering.

"Am I the better kisser?" Gaara asked, knowing that he was. Lee was still holding him.

"Yes, but by default." Lee answered, grinning.

"What?" Gaara replied, his eyes narrowing, his voice tinged with anger.

"I do not think I could enjoy kissing anyone as much as I enjoy kissing you." Lee retorted, smirking as he lowered his head to kiss Gaara again, but only for an instant.

"You know that sounds very cliché, right?" Gaara responded. Lee laughed a little in reply.

"I am a very cliché person, Gaara." Lee stated, smiling. Lee leaned down once more to kiss Gaara, who lifted himself up a little to meet him halfway. The kiss was still soft and innocent. Lee was still too scared to take it any further and Gaara really didn't know there was more to it. Though Gaara felt something pushing inside of him, pushing for something, but he didn't know what was pushing or what it wanted. He wondered if those were just hormones…

Gaara licked Lee's lips, just to try it, and he enjoyed the response more than the taste. Lee shuddered, and was unable to stop himself from moaning into it. Damn, it felt good, but Lee knew if this didn't stop immediately he'd be in a lot of trouble. Luckily it was right then that Lee's stomach growled angrily. It could smell the food and it wanted it.

Gaara broke away with a sigh, and was surprised to hear Lee sigh at the same time. Though, he didn't know that Lee was sighing in relief. "So I guess you should eat." Gaara commented.

"We should eat." Lee corrected, emphasis on 'we'.

"Fine." Gaara responded, moving away from Lee, once again reminded of how much colder it was when he wasn't next to Lee. He grabbed two plates and two forks from where he knew they would be and handed one of each to Lee.

"Please, help yourself." Lee said to Gaara, motioning for him to grab his food first. Gaara didn't want much, but took more than he usually would to humor Lee. Plus there really was a lot of food for just two people.

Though, Gaara shouldn't have been surprised to see Lee take all that was left onto his plate. He put the dishes into the sink, quickly rinsing them off before taking his plate and moving towards the dinning hall. Gaara quietly followed.

When the sat down Lee looked at Gaara expectantly. At first Gaara had no idea why, but quickly realized it was because Lee wanted to see him try the food first. Gaara, not being very hungry, skewered a piece of broccoli with his fork and popped it into his mouth.

It was good. Very good. And it wasn't because Gaara had some secret love for broccoli; he usually didn't eat the stuff. Gaara found himself taking another bite immediately to see if there was some mix up, this time scooping a forkful of vegetables and rice. No mistaking it, this was really good. He took another forkful before realizing that Lee was still watching him.

Lee laughed a little when Gaara looked up at him. "I take it you like it?" Lee asked, smiling. He'd never seen Gaara eat a forkful of food; he always ate a tiny little bit at a time. And it looked like Gaara was going to finish it off in forkfuls.

"You should cook more often." Gaara responded after he'd swallowed the bite he'd been working on. He was surprised by his appetite. He wondered if this meant he had a new favorite food. Or maybe he'd enjoy everything Lee cooked this much? He had no idea why he liked it so much. Lee would have to cook for him again.

"Is it that good?" Lee responded merrily, happy to see Gaara eating with a healthy appetite for once. He took a bite, but didn't find it very much different from the stir-fry he always used to make. Though the ingredients were better, of course. It was good, no doubt, but he wondered why Gaara was eating with such gusto all of the sudden. Lee was sure the cooks here could have prepared something much better.

He didn't question it, though, and ate his own food quickly, as he always did. Lee could see Gaara didn't have much food left, and Gaara seemed to be savoring his last few bites. Maybe it was the love he put in his food? Lee thought, but that just seemed girlish. He'd have to cook for Gaara again and try to figure out how to get Gaara to eat like this every night.

"I can't recall the last time I enjoyed a meal like that…" Gaara commented after he was done. He was full, and he felt warm. He also felt a little bit tired, which was weird for him.

"Thank you, I am very happy you liked it so much." Lee responded, also finished with his food. He moved to pick up the dishes and take them to the sink in the kitchen, since there was no one there to do it for them tonight. He turned back towards the dinning room to find Gaara had followed him to the kitchen.

"I'm getting a glass of water." Gaara explained when Lee looked at him with questions in his eyes. Gaara quickly grabbed a glass and filled it with water from the filter in the sink. Lee did the same, smiling. Lee wanted to think that Gaara had also followed him because he didn't want to be alone. He knew he would have followed Gaara for the same reason.

"I'm tired." Gaara commented as he finished his water and put the glass in the sink. Gaara didn't know why he was stating this all of the sudden. Maybe because it was such a rare occurrence for him.

"You can lean on me, if you want to." Lee replied, blushing a bit at the thought. Gaara just nodded, taking Lee's hand of his own accord as they walked through the dining room toward their own rooms.

"This has been a good day." Gaara said as they walked.

"A most splendid day, just as I predicted." Lee whispered happily. Gaara now leaned his head against Lee's arm as they walked.

Gaara's eyes threatened to close quite a few times just as they were walking. He held Lee's arm with both of his, using him for support. And it didn't bother him. Gaara wondered if anything could bother him when it came to Lee. How much could he do? He'd never been close to someone, physically or emotionally. And he was growing closer to Lee in both ways. And he was okay with it. And that's what scared him, just a little bit.

He didn't want to think too much about it. He realized he didn't want to sleep alone tonight. But it was too soon to even think of sleeping in the same bed, even if he didn't have any intention other than to sleep. Or was it? He found himself too tired to ask Lee if they could share a bed. And they had to go their separate ways much too soon.

"Good night, Gaara." Lee said to an already half-asleep Gaara in front of his doorway. Gaara let go of Lee's arm only to find that he couldn't balance himself properly. Lee went to kiss Gaara's forehead, but as he tried to move away Gaara held him close. Gaara brought Lee down to him so he could press their lips together. He let go of Lee very slowly.

"Good night, Lee." Gaara said quietly before heading towards his room, stumbling towards his bed after he'd shut the door behind him. And for once, the instant his head connected with the pillow he was asleep. If Gaara had not been watching Lee the whole time he would have wondered if there had been sleeping medication in his food.

Lee smiled at the closed door to Gaara's room. And he stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. After that he decided he needed to do two things. First, he pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Though, the pain from his burn had been real he had to double check. It hurt. He was awake. Second, he jumped in a victory pose, suppressing the urge to scream with joy.

Realizing he was still in the hallway Lee went into his room. 'I could go through the bathroom and be in Gaara's room right now.' Lee thought, and he smiled. They were so close, and now it was much more than just sharing a bathroom! He didn't know how everything could be so perfect. What would he say to Gaara in the morning?

The morning… Tomorrow he'd have to go back to practice. They'd start that cycle again, where Lee was either at work, school, practice, or asleep. Now Lee wanted to scream in anguish. Today had been so wonderful! Why did everything have to continue tomorrow like nothing had happened? Why couldn't time stop for him, just this once and only for a little bit?

He fell onto his bed, and he was more tired than he would have thought. He set his alarm begrudgingly and laid back down. So much had happened, there was so much to think about. He wanted to remember it all, but he couldn't get through half of the memories that happened today before he was asleep. And knew he didn't need dreams anymore, because he was living the dream.

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

Shit... That was very long... I'm sorry 'bout that. Now you know why it took so long... I'm not going to read this over. I'm posting it now, I'm sleepy, too. Kthx bye.


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